


Melt My Heart to Stone

by killians-dashingrescue (caroc25)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: CS AU, F/M, Inspired by a Movie, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-07-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 18:23:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1698128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caroc25/pseuds/killians-dashingrescue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma and Killian meet in college and she develops a crush for him. Her hopes are crushed when her best friend Milah swoops in and charms him. Five years later, they are still dating, Emma’s feeling are still the same. What will happen when the couple decides to get married.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! I’m starting a new multi-chapter CS AU inspired by the movie Something Borrowed. I’m taking the general idea of the movie and making it my own. There are already a couple of scenes of the movie that I liked that I will use in the story, maybe dialogues (don’t know yet). Don’t be surprise if it isn’t exactly like the movie because it isn’t suppose to be, Emma will not be a lawyer like Ginnie Goodwin’s character in the movie for example. Like I said it’s inspired from the movie. I’m just trying to make this extra clear since I want to avoid to deal with comments telling me that that part in my story didn’t happen in the movie.
> 
> So that being said, I’m reaaaaaally excited about this fic, and I want to thank Nicki- oncertwice for pushing me to write this story.
> 
> Read, enjoy and I hope you guys like it!

Emma was in her office, sitting in front of her computer doing next week’s work schedules.

Her head was in pain as she was trying to figure out this puzzle. There were so many requests for days off from her employees, and she was really trying to make everybody happy.

Sadly, sometimes she couldn’t, and she knew she would have to deal with the wrath of Ruby when she found out that she didn’t get her weekend off like she asked.

It was going to be a long weekend and she needed her best staff to handle her shop, and Ruby was the only one with enough experience to handle it.

When she finished doing the schedule, she clicked on the printer icon on her screen and waited for the paper version of her work to come out from the machine that was next to her computer. As she waited, she dropped her elbow on her desk as she started massaging her temples trying to soothe the pain that seemed to intensify.

When the warm paper came out from the other side of the printer, she took it and got up and went to the employees break room to put up the new timetable on the bulletin board that served to that effect and to the important messages that she sometimes needed to announce.

As she finished posting her recent work, Ruby walked through the door and when she saw what Emma had just displayed she skipped towards the board. Her excitement quickly disappeared when she saw that she didn’t get what she wanted.

The brunette turned around towards her boss with her hands on her hips and an outraged look. “Seriously? I have to work next weekend?”

“I’m sorry, Ruby. I really am, but it’s going to be a long weekend and you’re the only one I trust to make sure the business runs properly when I’m not here.” She told Ruby with an apologetic look.

“Ugh…Fine.” Ruby whined. “You’re lucky I like you, if you were a horrible boss I probably would have quit by now.”

“Well, I’m lucky that I’m such a sweetheart.” Emma said with playful smile.

“Pfff, not right now you aren’t.” Ruby answered with a fake smile before she went to the staff bathroom to get herself changed into her work clothes.

Emma decided to go up front and see how things were going.

When she passed the door, she was welcomed by the smell of pastries, coffee and warm bread. She didn’t have time to walk two steps when she was stopped by one of her busboys, who was wearing a pair of jeans that was ripped almost everywhere, and a black T-shirt that was clearly overused, having lost most of its original color.

Emma inspected his attire and noticed that he was also wearing a used pair of sneakers. She sighed when she saw his overall look and when she realised that the only thing that was not ripped or washed-out was the black apron that she gave him his first day here.

“Hey, Emma, I was wondering if you finished doing the next week’s schedule.” Asked Jefferson.

“I have and don’t worry you have the days you asked and…” she was interrupted by a loud ‘yes’ coming out of his mouth as he made a fist with both his hands and pulled his arms forward before pulling them towards his body.

Emma’s eyebrows went up to her hairline and her eyes widen and fluttered at his reaction. “…aaand, can you please wear clothes that aren’t _this._ ” She told him as she gestured her hand towards his attire.

“But I thought we got to dress how we wanted to for work as long as we put on the apron?” He asked confused at her sudden comment.

“Yes, but I didn’t mean dress like homeless person. Just put on some clothes that aren’t ripped, okay?” She said with a stern voice.

“I will.” Jefferson then went back to pick up the dirty dishes that were lying around the room.

The bell above the entrance rang for the millionth time today, and she wondered why she thought it was a good idea to know every time the door opens and closes.

“Emma!” said a familiar voice, and she didn’t have to see who it was.

“Hey David!” she saluted him as she walked around the counter to hug him. David was Emma’s childhood friend, she thought of him like the brother she never had. Every day during the week, he comes in and stays for his lunch break at Emma’s bakery/coffee shop.

They went to sit at a table at the far end of the room. The moment they sat, Ruby came to their table to take his order.

“Hey Dave, the usual?” She asked in a perky tone, seems her previous anger had dissipated.

“Yes; you know me too well Ruby.” He told her with one of his charming smiles.

“I’ll take a hot chocolate, if you don’t mind.” Emma asked to her employee.

“Yes, I do.” She answered in a slightly bitter voice before going to the computer screen to enter their order.

“Wow, okay, she’s still mad.”

“About what?”

“Not giving her the days off she requested for next week.”

“She’ll get over it. She always does, you know she gets mad but quickly forgives you.”

“Yeah, I know.” Emma responded as she dropped both of her arms on the table, crossing them over.

“So, are you looking forward to tonight?”

Emma had completely forgotten about her plans tonight, and she banged her head on the table when she remembered what she was doing, her headache getting worse suddenly.

“Uuugh. I completely forgot.” David laughed at her reaction, which made Emma lift her head to glare at him.

“Don’t laugh at my misery.”

“I’m not, it’s just I don’t get why you always react this way when you have to see them, aren’t they your friends?”

“Yes, they are, but it just gets so exhausting. Let me rephrase that, _Milah_ is so exhausting.”

Her blond friend laughed at her comment. “She is, man I don’t know how Killian can deal with her everyday. She is so annoying.”

Emma smiled sadly at his comment, not about David having said that Milah was annoying, because she was, she is the most self-obsessed, spoiled woman Emma had ever met and was weirdly one of her closest female friends.

What made Emma sad was to think that Killian was still involved with Milah.

Emma never admitted it to anyone, not even David, but she always had a thing for Killian, from the first time she saw him enter their accounting class in college. It still hurt when she thought that it has now been 5 years since and almost 5 years that he and Milah were dating.

Milah had called her last week telling her to reserve next Friday night, which was today, because she wanted Emma to go out to eat with Killian and her at a restaurant. Emma felt obligated to comply since she knew what happened when she refused something to her friend.

“Uuuugh…” Emma said whimpering as she slouched herself on her seat, dreading her evening already.

“I don’t know why you let yourself go through that. If you don’t want to go, don’t.”

“I can’t! You know how she is, if I don’t go she will spend all evening texting and calling me, whining because I’m not there, or she will pull out her passive-aggressive act every time we see each other for the next month.”

Just as she finished explaining the consequences of her not showing up, Ruby arrived with David’s sandwich, salad and coffee and she dropped it in front of him, she then deposited Emma’s hot chocolate in front her.

“Remind me, why are you friends with her?” He asked as he took his first bite of his meal.

She sighed as she told him, for the hundredth time, why.

“Because, we’ve been friends since high school, and despite all her annoying traits she is still fun to have around. I have a lot of fond memories with her. And she was there for me when Neal left me and I feel grateful for that.”

“You mean she was there to get you drunk for all the time it took you to get over him.” He told her with judging eye.

“It wasn’t _that_ bad!” Responded Emma, a little offended at his comment.

“If you say so.” He took another bite of sandwich as Emma leaned back on her chair, crossing her arms in front of her chest, her eyes going to look through the window next to her watching people pass by as she was pondering on what her friend just told her.

“Anyways, I’m only saying that you shouldn’t feel forced to do something that you don’t want to.”

Emma’s upper body shot forward as an idea crossed her mind. David, knowing that look, suddenly started to look anxious knowing that he wouldn’t like the outcome.

“You can come with me and keep me company.” She said excitedly, as he started to shake his head in a very decisive manner.

“No, I love you, Emma, but no.”

“Cooome ooooon…” She begged casting him her best puppy eyes look.

He looked at her exasperated and Emma felt herself winning.

“Even if I did, Milah wouldn’t want me there, she hates me.” He said, still trying to convince Emma that it wasn’t a good idea.

“Well she wouldn’t hate you if you were nicer to her, and I’m sure that she won’t mind.” As she was talking she took out her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and started texting her friend, asking her if she could bring David.

Two minutes after she sent her message her phone beeped. Emma read her response and started smiling as she lifted her head up towards David.

He groaned as he told her ‘fine’.

Emma was happy with this new development, finally telling herself that this night won’t be has bad as she thought if David was there as moral support.

“So, where are we going?” He asked, completely defeated.

“I don’t know the place but she sent me an address, and she told me to dress in formal attire, so you’ll have to suit up, Nolan.”

“The things I do for you.” David told her taking his wallet out as he got up to pay his bill to Ruby.

Emma stood up from her chair at the same time as him, following him towards the register. “The dinner is at eight, so come and pick me up at 7:30.” She instructed him.

“I will. See you later.” They hugged and after he left, Emma went back into her office to do some paperwork she needed to do before calling it a day.

She really felt more confident in her evening now that she knew that David would help her get through the night.

 

* * *

 

Emma wrapped a towel across her chest as she got of the shower. She looked at the time on her watch that was lying on the bathroom counter.

It was 6:30, she still had an hour before David will show up to pick her up. Enough time for her to get herself ready. She started drying herself off, and grabbed another smaller towel which she wrapped around her head so her long wavy hair will dry up a little.

She went to her bedroom closet, still wrapped in her white towel, as she started browsing through her dresses, wondering which one she should choose.

She picked up three very different dresses when it came to the length and cleavage; there was the little black dress, the skin-tight short red dress and simple and plain white dress. Emma left her choices on her bed as she went to put some underwear.

When she was free from her towel, she walked back towards her bed and picked up the black dress, _simple and chic,_ she thought.

Finally dressed, Emma went back to her bathroom, plugging her hair dryer and her curling iron. When she finished curling her golden locks in soft waves, she took out her make up from one of the cabinet, and started applying foundation, followed by a thin line of black on her eyelids, some mascara and red lipstick.

Taking one last look in the mirror, Emma felt pretty satisfied with the result. She looked back at her watch that was now resting on her left wrist, and realised that she had 15 minutes left until David showed up.

She grabbed a smaller purse from her closet and went to her everyday bag and transferred the essential stuff in the smaller one. The door buzzed and that was her cue that David had arrived, she went to pick a pair of dark cerulean pumps and grabbed her keys before going out the door and locking it behind her.

When Emma arrived downstairs, David was waiting for her inside the yellow cab. She opened the door to the backseat and joined her friend inside.

“Wow, you went all in.” Exclaimed the fair-haired man.

“Yeah, well I never get to wear those fancy clothes, so might as well make the most of this evening.” She told him with a big smile as she took out a piece of paper from her purse. She gave the paper with the restaurant address to the driver.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She complimented him as she her eyes wandered up and down his sitting form. He wore a simple black suit, a white shirt with a simple black tie. His hair was brushed back and he really looked handsome.

“Well, thank you.” He answered with a smile.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence, as Emma slowly started to feel anxious. She cursed herself for feeling this way every time she was going to spend an evening with the couple.

She hated that she felt jealous of her best friend for dating the guy that she used to have a crush in college. For God’s sake it was five years ago and she still couldn’t let go of this feeling.

She felt jealous that Milah had more courage than her when it came to men, no fear of flirting with a man that she found attractive. That was Emma’s problem in college, she let her break-up with Neal make her doubt herself, doubt people’s intentions towards her, always thinking that she will end up heartbroken.

When she finally decided to take a leap of faith with Killian, that’s when Milah waltzed in and charmed him.

Emma tried to console herself, convincing herself that even if she would have taken that leap of faith he wouldn’t have returned her affections, he was way too good for her.

David pulled her out of her thoughts when he nudged her with his elbow. “Emma? We’re here.”

She turned her head towards him and blinked her eyes a couple of times when she realised what he was telling her.

“Oh, yeah…okay.” She took out her wallet and split the cab fare with David.

They both got out from the yellow car, and they started walking towards the restaurant. When they arrived in the entrance, they were greeted by a hostess.

“Good evening, are you here for the private party?” Asked the redhead hostess.

“Uh, I don’t think so. My friends booked a reservation, it’s under the name Milah or Killian.” Responded Emma as she leaned her head towards the hostess booth on which was her big book filled with name reservation.

She smiled at them and asked them to follow her. She led them to the back of the restaurant, through a hallway, and they slowly started to hear a mix of different conversations getting louder and louder as they got closer. The hostess stopped when they arrived in the reception room where there was at least thirty people. She recognised most of them, friends and family of Milah and Killian.

The hostess smiled at them before wishing them a good evening and going back to her post. Emma and David stood at the entrance, mouth agape, not prepared at all for this.

“ _EMMMAA_!!” A female voice yelped from across the room, and she saw Milah coming at her. She was trying to run in her skin-tight beige mini dress with a pair of black pumps. When she arrived in front of her and she grabbed her in tight hug. Emma felt the air leave her lungs as she got pressed in her embrace.

“Careful, Milah, you still want Emma to be here tonight, don’t you?” Said a lilted voice, and she automatically felt her stomach flutter as she recognized it.

“You’re such a downer, Killy. I just wanted to greet my best friend now that I never get the chance to see her.” Pouted Milah as she shifted her gaze towards her boyfriend.

Killian sighed at her comment, scratching the back of his ear with his right hand, a tic that he had since college, Emma noticed. Her eyes started roaming over him, she cursed inwardly when the first thing thought that passed through her mind seeing him in navy three piece suit, was how sexy he looked.

“Hi, Killian.” She said as she left her friends arms, and was greeted by his as he leaned in for a hug and kissed her on the cheek as he always did when he bid her welcome. She felt herself blush, as usual and smiled at him.

She let out a shaky breath, and turned her attention back to the brunette as Killian went to greet David.

“Care to tell me what’s this all about? I thought that we were having diner, you know, just us.”

“We are having diner, just with a lot more people. I thought it would be fun.” She looked at her with this glint in her eye, one that Emma knew all too well. She was hiding something. Emma squinted her eyes before replying, “You’re hiding something.”

“No, I’m not.” Milah said as she shifted around and took Killian’s hand, pulling him towards the group of people, leaving David and her there.

“Oh my _god_ , she’s annoying. Can we leave now?”

“Really? We just got here!”

He groaned at her reply. “Fine, but we’re not staying long, okay?”

“Sure, whatever. Now, let’s go mingle.” Emma grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the mass.

* * *

 

An hour had passed and Emma was getting annoyed with half of the people there, and she barely got time to spend with her friend, which was the main reason of her being here.

She also hated herself for wearing high heels, now that she had spent too much time on her feet. She walked towards the couple, and dropped her hand on her friend’s arm.  


“I think I’m gonna take off.” She told her with an apologetic face.

“What? No! You can’t.”

“I’m sorry but I’m tired and I just want to go to bed.” She justified.

“I don’t care, you _can’t_ leave!”

“Milah, stop acting like baby. If she wants to leave, let her.” Interjected Killian as his girlfriend shot him a furious glare at his comment. He looked at her, not at all scared by her stare.

“Fine.” She finally said. “Just stay at least another half an hour.” She begged.

“Okay.” As soon as Emma acquiesced to her request she turned her back to her and continued to talk with her other friends.

“Sorry about that.” Apologised Killian.

“Don’t be, I’ve grown used to it.” Emma sighed as she dropped her gaze to her hands holding her clutch.

“Well, you shouldn’t.” There was suddenly a heavy silence between them.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” He asked her as his voice dropped, the words and his voice making her shiver.

She felt this heat creep on her cheeks as she tried to produce some saliva so she could answer him.

“Thanks.” She said shyly.

Killian inhaled deeply and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something,

Emma looked up at him waiting for his next words, but they were interrupted by Milah who grabbed him by the waist dragging him into the conversation she was having with her friends.

He turned his head back with a look that told her he was sorry for leaving suddenly.

Emma smiled shyly before leaving her spot, walking towards the bar to get another glass of champagne.

She started to wonder where David had disappeared to when she caught sight of him talking with Kathryn, his ex-girlfriend. He seemed to want to leave the conversation but she didn’t notice it and just continued to talk.

Emma decided to save him from this torture when the sound of metal softly clanged on a champagne flute.

Everybody turned their eyes towards Milah and Killian, his arm around her waist.

“So, you guys must be wondering why we gathered all of you here tonight. Well Killian and I have big news to announce to you…” She started grinning as she propelled her left hand towards the crowd of people before screaming, “WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!”

Milah’s last words started to resonate in Emma’s head, and Emma felt like she’d just been knocked out.

_Married?_

She saw her friend’s mouth moving but she didn’t hear what she was saying. She snapped out of it when she heard her name being spoken.

“I feel as though I should thank by best friend, Emma, for introducing us five years ago. So, my dear friend, there isn’t anyone else I would want to ask this, since you lead me to my soulmate: would like to be my maid of honor?” Milah asked in front of everybody, and Emma felt thirty pairs of eyes land on her.

She looked up and saw Killian looking at her intently with a smile. What she said next made her heart ache and instantly regretted when it came out of her mouth.

“Yes, I would love to be your maid of honor.”


	2. Chapter 2

The restaurant ambiance changed after the announcement of Milah’s and Killian’s engagement as both of their families and friends went over to them and congratulated them.

Emma stood near the bar, ordering herself another drink, so she could process what the hell just happened before going to see the couple.

David shortly joined her after hearing the news and ordered himself a beer.

“So, that’s why she was so secretive earlier.” He told her as he took a sip. “I might not like her, but she sure does know to surprise people.”

“Mmhm, that she does.” Emma replied simply.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned.

She inhaled and tried to put on a happy face.

“Yeah, I am. I mean, they have been dating for five years now, we should’ve had seen it coming, right? And I’m really happy for them.” She blurted out, her voice in a higher pitch than usual.

David’s stare stayed locked on her, skeptical about her statement. If he doesn’t believe her, he decides not to press the matter further.

“So, maid of honor?”

Emma winced at those words, as she already regretted her decision to accept this role in their wedding. How was she supposed to help her best friend get married to the man she had feelings for? Seeing them dating was hard enough for her, the wedding would be her death.

“Yeah, that’s going to be something, especially considering the bride. I mean, I’m happy for my friends and all, but ugh, she’s going to be so demanding.” Said Emma.

“Yup, you’re going to have to deal with bridezilla, that’s for sure.”

She sighed and looked back towards her friends, seeing that there were less people demanding their attention, Emma decided to go over there and congratulate them properly.

“Okay.” She said, as a way of preparing herself. “I’m gonna go over there. Come with me?” She asked David looking at him with her best puppy eyes.

“Fine, better get it over with.”

They sauntered over to where the couple was standing, and as they got closer, Emma felt a pang of nervousness hit her, her mouth went dry and she felt her hands getting sweaty.

As they approached them Emma wanted to flee when she saw Milah lean in for a kiss, and she felt her heart squeeze to the point where it hurt like hell, and she had trouble breathing. She inhaled deeply, gaining all the courage she could muster.

“Hey, guys!” She said, interrupting their moment.

“EMMA!!” Answered the brunette as she took her in her arms for a quick hug before pulling back and shoving her left hand in front of her so she could look at the big diamond ring she had.

“Wow, it’s gorgeous.” She said as she examined the ring. A little bit over the top for her taste, but it totally reflected her friend’s personality.

_Big and shiny._

“So, I guess congratulations are in order.” Interjected David, slightly uncomfortable with the jewellery talk.

“Thanks, mate.” Responded Killian with a dashing smile as David tapped him in a friendly manner on the back.

“Yeah, congratulations! I’m very happy for you guys.” Emma said with a smile hoping that it sounded sincere.

“Thank you.” Killian responded as he looked at her, his gaze feeling like fire on her skin.

“I mean, who would have thought that Killian and I would get married when we met five years ago? I’m so happy I came and crashed your little end-of-semester party.” Milah laughed as she said that, and Emma relived that entire evening for the hundredth time, cursing herself over and over for her lack of courage.

_It was her first day at college and Emma had gotten lost finding her location of her Accountings class._

_When she finally found the numbers on the door that corresponded with those on her schedule she went in and went to find a desk. Emma pushed her black-rimmed glasses back up on the bridge of her nose since running around made them slide lower._

_Emma let out a frustrated sigh when she saw that all the places in the front were taken._

_She climbed the stairs that led her to the free seats at the back of the small auditorium and cursed herself for not finding the room before. Now she would have to try and concentrate while sitting in the back where she couldn’t properly hear the teacher, surrounded by students who spent their time talking._

_She found a free desk and went to sit on the chair as she took out her notebook and the five pens she had packed. She organized her things on her desk, getting herself ready for the class as the teacher came in._

_Emma was writing the date on the top of her notebook when she felt someone sit next to her. She ignored whoever it was that sat next to her, as she didn’t want any distractions._

_“Are you afraid of missing ink, love?” The lilted voice next to her commented._

_Emma turned around and was completely taken aback by the man sitting next to her._

_He was looking at her with a playful glint behind his striking blue eyes with his dark brown hair contrasting with the color of his eyes, a smirk that made her knees weak, and he looked even more handsome with his scruff that had some hints of ginger._

_She couldn’t keep her eyes from traveling down his sitting form and chastised herself for doing so when she realised that he was wearing a grey t-shirt, his chest hair peeking out from it._

_“Um, yeah, I take a lot of notes.” She responded shyly, feeling her cheeks burn._

_He chuckled at her comment and he took out a couple loose sheets from his bag and a pencil, and dropped it on his desk, crossing his arms in front of his chest as the teacher started speaking._

_The teacher instantly commenced with the lecture and Emma grabbed a pen automatically, taking notes as the professor spoke. In a rush of taking one of her pens, she pushed the four others on the desk, making them fall in front of her._

_She leaned forward to look where they had fallen and she whispered ‘shit’ when she saw that they had fallen two desks down in front._

_She sat back in her chair, looking at her notebook in a state of panic, not knowing what do. She caught sight of something in the corner of her eye, the hand of the dark-haired man pushing his only pencil on the table towards her._

_Emma’s eyes widened and looked at him; he had a small smile on his face. “Are you sure?” She whispered._

_“Take it, I don’t need it.” He whispered back._

_“How are you going to take notes?”_

_“I’ll manage.” He answered simply as he resumed his previous position in his seat, arm crossed in front of his chest._

_Emma stared at him; he had his eyes set on the front._

_She could tell that he was concentrated on taking in the information the teacher was divulging and thought that she hadn’t seen a such gorgeous sight. She shook her head as a way to clear her mind from him and resumed taking her notes._

_**_

_It was late, and they had been studying every night in the past week until the library closed. They were both tired, and the effect of their last cups of coffee was long ago dissipated._

_Emma and Killian were trying to stifle their burst of laughter, but had a hard time doing so since it only spurred them on. It didn’t take long before the few students still at the library started to shush them._

_Killian apologised to the students at the next table while Emma had her arms crossed on the table, her head hidden in them trying to calm herself down. When she did, she leaned back in her chair, laughing softly._

_“Stop it, Swan, or they’ll throw us out of here.” He whispered, as he obviously was about to crack again._

_“I can’t! My cheeks hurt so bad!” She tried whispering as she failed miserably._

_The students at the table next to them, clearly annoyed, grabbed their things and left, leaving them alone. Emma giggled at their sudden departure._

_“See? Now you’re scaring people away, love!” As he let himself laugh loudly._

_Emma’s cheeks started to hurt, and tried setting her mouth in a straight line, the action causing more pain to her cheeks._

_A tear escaped her eye as she tried to regain the control of her breathing._

_“Oh my god! I can’t even remember what made us laugh like this.” She told him. Emma looked at him, impressed on how quickly he regained his composure._

_“Me either.” His hand moved toward her, his thumb brushing her cheek, sweeping away the tear that was slipping down._

_Her breath caught in her throat as his hand touched her skin, making her stop automatically as butterflies invaded her belly._

_They looked at each other, his blue eyes locked on her green ones._

_“So.” Killian said as he broke the heavy silence that was lingering between them. “What do you say, if when we finish this painful exam, we got out to celebrate.”_

_Emma felt a smile creep onto her face. “I’d like that.”_

_For the first time, she felt this pang of hope, that maybe Killian could be interested in her. She just needed to gain the courage to leave her issues behind and embrace this, embrace_ him _._

**

_It was 9 p.m. and Emma felt extremely nervous but the good kind, since she decided that she was letting go of the past and wanted to take a leap of faith. She was looking forward to this evening all week and was really excited to meet Killian outside of any school-related matters._

_She opened the door of the college bar and started to scan the room, looking for her dark-haired study partner. She found him sitting alone in a booth, sipping his pint. When is eyes crossed hers, his upper body straightened and he cast her a big smile._

_She smiled back and started to walk towards him._

_“Wow, you look amazing, love.” Complimented Killian, making Emma blush. She completely forgot that she was wearing a pink dress and traded her usual ponytail for some loose curls._

_“Thanks, I thought I might as well dress up a little, you know, we’re celebrating right?” She responded as she fumbled with her words._

_“I agree.”_

_She sat in the booth next to him and she ordered herself a beer. They casually started to reminisce on their first semester of college. Emma subtly tried to get close to him, and she wondered if he was doing the same when his hand brushed hers._

_Emma suddenly felt courageous and was about to make a bold move, when someone sat in their booth next to him._

_“Hey, Emma, I didn’t know you were coming here tonight!” Exclaimed Milah._

_“Oh, hi, Milah.” Emma said in a disappointed tone, her friend not noticing her change of voice._

_“So, who’s this?” She said as she turned around towards Killian and starting to roam her eyes over him with predatory gaze._

_“Who are you?” He quipped back._

_“I’m Emma’s best friend.”_

_“Sorry, never heard of you.”_

_“What? You don’t talk about me?” Milah asked Emma, her attention quickly going back to Killian. “She never talked about you, either.”_

_“She didn’t?” His voice sounded almost hurt, but Emma ignored it, retreating back into her corner, feeling her heart ache. She got up from the booth, and two sets of blue eyes turned towards her._

_“I’m sorry, but I’m suddenly very tired, I’m gonna go back to my dorm.” She apologised._

_“What? Stay.” Killian responded._

_“Please stay.” Added Milah as she looked at her, mouthing at Emma to go, and that she would be fine. Emma’s gaze went down as she tried to hold back tears._

_“I’m sorry, you guys enjoy your night.” She cast them a forced smile and walked towards the exit door not letting them add anything else._

_She started to shuffle down the sidewalk, feeling tears fill her eyes._

_“Swan?”_

_She recognised the voice and decided to ignore it as she started to walk faster._

_“Emma, wait!”_

_She stopped, inhaled deeply, and forced a smile on her face before turning around. “What’s up?”_

_“Are you okay?” Killian asked, concern in his voice._

_“Me? Sure why wouldn’t I be?”_

_“Does this bother you?”_

_Emma understood that he was referring to Milah._

_“No, of course not. You can do whatever you want, Killian. Have fun.” She told him and turned around resuming her walk not giving him time to answer her. Emma was sure she was far away before she started sobbing uncontrollably, her heart breaking into millions of pieces._

Emma and David stayed glued at the hip for the rest of the evening, not really wanting to mingle with the other people who were around. David really wanted to avoid Kathryn and every time she came to see them he made up an excuse and they changed location.

“Why is she is so determined on coming over to talk to you? I thought you two broke up?” Emma asked, taking two more glasses of champagne from the tray that the waiter was carrying as David was on the lookout.

“I did, she’s the one who took the break-up very well.” He answered as he took a flute of champagne from his friend hands.

“What did you tell her?”

“When?”

“When you broke up with her?”

“I told her that she was great and everything but that I wasn’t ready for a big and long commitment.” He answered casually.

“Oh my god, you’re so stupid! Why didn’t you just tell her that you didn’t like her instead of stringing her along?” Emma asked him as she hit him with the back of her hand on his upper arm.

“Hey! First, why?” He said as he gestured toward his upper arm. “And secondly, how am I stringing her along?”

“You didn’t tell her clearly that you weren’t interested and now she may think that you are willing for a more serious relationship and is going to try to make you date her again.” Emma explained as if it was the most obvious thing.

“What? That’s stupid.” As he responded to Emma’s theory, Kathryn made her way up to them.

“Hey David, it’s as if we’re playing hide and seek.” She told him with a big smile.

“Ha, yeah.” He laughed dryly and looked at Emma for help.

She leaned in and lifted her head up so she could level her mouth to David’s ear. “You’re on your own now.” She whispered as she patted him on the back and left the pair. She knew that David would make her pay later but she didn’t care.

Emma was quickly stopped by Killian and another man standing next to him.

“Hey Emma, I’m glad I found you. I wanted you to finally meet Graham.” Killian told her excitedly.

Emma’s eyebrow went up to her hairline.

Graham was one of Killian’s best friends from Ireland, and always had epic stories to share about their adventures.

Emma never saw a picture of him whatsoever but she knew that he was important to Killian, and knew it meant a lot for him to introduce Graham to her.

“Oh! So _you’re_ Graham, it’s nice to finally meet you. I was wondering if you were only Killian’s imaginary friend.” She teased as she pushed her hand forward to greet him and he met her halfway.

“You’re the third person saying that tonight, the first being the bride-to-be.” He said laughing.

Emma’s smile faltered at the mention of her friend. Of course she was going to be the first person Killian would have presented his friend to.

“So, what brings you here?” asked Emma, wanting the change the subject, which obviously didn’t work given Graham’s answer.

“Ah well, when my mate called me to tell me that he was going to ask for Milah’s hand in marriage, he asked me if I could come here to be his best man.”

“Oh.” Simply responded Emma. She was about to add something they were interrupted by Milah, who had trouble standing on both her feet since she was extremely drunk. She had one armaround Killian’s neck and the other one on Graham’s neck and she was laughing as both men supported her by her waist.

“Did I tell you that you look pretty tonight, Emma?” Said Milah, she was clearly drunk if she started complimenting others.

“No, you didn’t.”

“You should wear dresses more often instead of your jeans and red leather jacket. Maybe you could find a man more easily without it.”

Even though her friend didn’t have all of her wits about her, her words still hurt. The feeling she felt might have been displayed on her face when Killian interrupted his fiancée’s speech.

“Okay. I think that’s enough, Milah, let’s go home.”

“Nooooo… I don’t wannaaa.” Whined Milah.

“Yes we are, you’re completely drunk, and I don’t want you clinging to me all evening. Let’s go.” He responded as he started taking her with the help of Graham.

“Ugh, you’re boring.” His fiancée answered.

“Sorry, Emma, I’m glad you could come tonight.” He told her with a sorry smile across his face.

“Sure. Goodnight.” She answered him with a forced smile as she watched them leave. She felt weirdly happy that they left; she couldn’t have stomached Milah being drunk and getting handsy with Killian.

Graham cleared his throat, which pulled Emma from her thoughts, she’s completely forgetten that he was still there. They looked at each other and stood in an uncomfortable silence.

“So, do you want another drink?” He asked.

Emma thought about going home now that the recently-engaged couple just left, she didn’t have any obligations. But on the other hand, she could use a good amount of alcohol with the developments that occurred during the evening.

“Sure, why not?”

They went to the bar of the reception room and ordered some drinks and they talked, getting to know each other.

David came and joined them as he lashed out on Emma for leaving him to deal with Kathryn all on his own.

An hour went by and the hostess came and to warn them that they will be closing the reception in a couple of minutes. Emma went to the bathroom before leaving the restaurant, with all the alcohol she’s consumed, she needed to relieve herself if she didn’t want to end up in an alley squatting uncomfortably on her way home.

When she came out of the bathroom, the reception room was almost empty with the exception of the staff cleaning up and David that was waiting for her—with _Killian_? She felt confused at his sudden return and walked towards them with a frown.

“Killian?”

He turned around at the sound of her voice.

“What are you doing here? I thought you went home with Milah.”

“I did, but when we arrived home she realised she forgot her purse. So here I am.” He explained.

“Do you want some help?” Emma asked him.

“No need, I’ve found it.” He raised his hand to show her the gold clutch. “Thanks anyways.”

Emma smiled at him in response.

The three of them walked out of the restaurant as they waited to get a cab.

“So, what are you guys doing?” Killian asked.

“I think we’re going to head home, I’m pretty beat.” David responded as he stood at the edge of the sidewalk, his arm ready to hail a cab if he needed to.

“That’s a shame, I was hoping we could another drink since it’s still pretty early.”

“I could use another drink.” Interjected Emma.

Killian shifted his surprised gaze towards her. “Great, last chance, mate.” He shouted at Emma’s blond-haired friend, who sternly shook his head. “Okay, shall we?” He said as he turned around towards Emma, putting his hand on the small of her back as he started to lead on the sidewalk.

“Where are we going?”

“I have a place in mind that you might like.” He answered with a secretive smile.

It felt odd for Emma to be alone with Killian since they rarely had the chance to hang out just the two of them, Milah was always between the two being the center of attention. She felt nervous being alone with him and wasn’t sure if she was happy or upset about it.

She did want to spend time with Killian, with whom she hardly had time, but she didn’t know how the heck to react now that he was engaged. Emma was deep in thought that she didn’t recognise on which street Killian had just turned and she realised where he had led them when she entered the bar.

That damned college bar where everything fell apart.

She stopped at the entrance, cursing him inwardly for bringing her here. Killian was two steps ahead and stopped when he realised she hadn’t follow him. He shifted around with a concerned look.

“What is it?”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Well, this is where we used to hang out, remember? I thought that it would be nice to drink here now, since we never get the chance to be alone.” He told her.

“Oh.”

Killian cocked his head towards one of the free booths, the booth where they sat that night.

Emma moved her feet and followed him.

Killian sat down on the left side of the booth, Emma going the other side sitting at the right side, wanting to put as much distance between them as she could.

The waitress came to their table and took their order as she dropped two coasters with the sponsored beer of the bar in front of them. When she left, they both stood there in an uncomfortable silence, taking awkward glances at each other as the music played around them.

When the waitress came back with their beers, Killian paid for their drinks. Emma thanked him and they both took a big gulp of their pints.

“So, it’s been a really long time since we did this.” Killian said as he broke the silence.

“Yeah,” Emma responded, her voice sounding breathy as she smiled shyly.

“It’s a shame, though. I mean, we were such close friends before Milah swooped in.” He stated as he took his pint for another sip.

Emma looked at him with a surprised expression. She didn’t know he felt that way, and was happy that somewhere amidst all that happened she meant something to him, that she hadn’t always been his girlfriend’s best friend, the third wheel.

After his confession, things went by smoothly, the awkwardness dissipated, the beer helped of course, and they quickly fell back in their old friendship. Reminiscing on the classes they had together, their insane study sessions at the library followed by exhaustion and lack of caffeine leading them to burst with laughter.

Emma was having so much fun being with him, as she realised that it wasn’t a crush that she had been feeling for him all these years, but something that felt more like love.

When he mentioned the night that he met Milah her heart dropped.

Emma managed to keep smiling at his memories of that night and what followed surprised him and her even more, as she later blamed the alcohol.

“I remember having this _huge_ crush on you back then.” Said Emma, laughing as if it meant nothing.

Killian’s face fell, his confused blue eyes locking with her green ones.

“What?” Her eyes grew wide at the sudden realisation of her confession, and she winced, now wanting to disappear into the thin air.

“I… sorry. Forget I ever said anything.” Emma blurted, as she wanted to repair the damage, but she was now too late.

Killian got up, took Milah’s clutch, and went outside with confusion and a little anger written on his face.

“Fuck… Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!” Emma sighed as she hit her head with her hands.

She followed him outside where he was standing, waiting to hail a cab.

“I’ll drop you off.” He simply said as he refused to look at her.

Emma continued to curse herself for being so stupid, she’d just ruined the last string of friendship they had left.

When a cab stopped in front of them, they both went in to sit in the backseat in silence. Killian told the driver there would be two stops, and told him her address to begin with.

The cab started the path to her apartment, and Emma shifted her upper body around so she could explain herself to Killian.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Killian didn’t let her as he crashed his lips into hers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank all of you who left a review. It is always appreciated to know that readers enjoy the hardwork, it only motivates me to give you more!
> 
> So… here’s the new chapter! It is slightly shorter than the previous ones, but as a gift, this chapter deserves an M rating.
> 
> Once again, for those who are just starting to read this story, it is inspired by the movie Something Borrowed. I’m not going to add everything that was in the movie or follow the exact storyline.
> 
> That said, read and enjoy!

Emma was caught off guard by Killian’s lips on hers, his hands were grabbing the back of her head, her hand was grabbing his bicep.

She couldn’t help but widen her eyes before closing them, savouring this moment, a moment she has been longing for five years.

He broke the kiss, pulling his head back so he could look into her eyes. They both searched each other’s eyes, looking for a sign that told them that this was a mistake. They were both so in a trance after finally admitting those feelings that they leaned in for searing kiss, flushing their bodies as much as the backseat of the cab would let them.

One of his hands left her hair and went to her knee; slowly caressing its way up to her thigh, going further under her dress. Emma gasped at his touch, and was wishing they weren’t in the cab right now.

The car stopped a couple of minutes later, there was an uncomfortable ‘We’re here’ from the front seat which made them stop.

Killian cleared his throat, his hand going to the back of his pants, taking out his wallet from the pocket. He took out a 20 and gave it to the driver. They got out of the car, and stood on the sidewalk in front her building in an awkward silence, glancing at each other with a wary look.

“So…” said Killian, trying to break the ice.

“Yeah… um…Do you want to come upstairs?” Emma asked without even thinking, and seeing the broken look he cast her she felt her heart crack. Of course he wasn’t going to come over, he’s engaged…to her best friend. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Goodnight Killian.” Emma took a deep breath, before turning away from him.

She started walking towards the entrance when suddenly she felt her arm being pulled, making her body shift, instantly being pressed by Killian’s warm body, one hand on her waist and the other one cupping her jaw. She sighed when his lips touched hers, hands gripping his shoulders.

The way up to her apartment was a blur as they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, lips unable to detach from the other.

Emma tried opening her door, but the task proved to be hard since Killian was standing behind her pressing his bulge on her buttocks, his hands on her waist, as he dropped hot wet kisses at the back of her neck. She let out an inaudible moan when one of his hands resting on her hip traveled down to the apex of her thighs, cupping her center firmly.

When she finally got the door open, it took only a second for Killian to spin her around, her back hitting the closed door.

Her hands quickly went to work as she tried to take his tie off as he continued peppering her neck with open-mouthed kisses.

When she succeeded she went to unbutton his shirt and vest, his mouth now going back to hers, sucking her bottom lip. She finally got his shirt undone, and she pushed it back his shoulders revealing a good amount of chest hair covering his lean muscles.

His hands traveled to her back as he went to unzip her dress all the way down. His hands went to her shoulder, taking the straps of her dress pulling them down her shoulders, and down her arms, until the top of her dress rested on her hips.

Killian stopped his assault on her mouth as he leaned back to take a look at her bare chest. He looked at her with awe in his eyes, while his gaze roamed her figure. “So beautiful, Emma.”

The words of endearment made her blush and made her feel giddy. She felt his palms warm both of her breasts, her head falling back until it hit the door behind her. She whimpered at the sudden loss of his warmth on her bosom, but was quickly replace by a wave of lust as he grabbed the back of her knee pulling her up, moving her legs around his waist.

His mouth latched to one of breast, sucking lightly her nipple, the action spurring her on as she started to push her hips down for some friction. When her center was pressed on his bulge she couldn’t stop the low, throaty moan that left her lips, making her groan as he was nibbling at her rosy nub.

Emma’s back suddenly left the wall, as he starting carrying her towards her bedroom. He dropped her gently on her bed, her legs hanging at the edge of it, his hands on her hips pulling down the rest of her dress leaving her almost naked, her black thong the only piece fabric covering her.

Killian knelt in front of her, pushing her thighs apart. He grabbed one of her legs; trailing light kisses from her ankle and up her long, creamy leg until he reached her inner thigh. He repeated the same routine on the other, when he reached her other thigh, he spread them wider, his head positioning at the apex of it.

Her breath itched when she felt his hot breath on her, her body simmering with lust when his mouth was on her covered slit, kissing her and tasting her wetness that soaked through the fabric.

“Fuck…Emma; you’re so wet for me.” Killian stated as he licked his lips, his hands tugging on her string. When she was completely bare to him, placing his head back between her legs, he lapped at her folds, tasting her arousal, groaning when he felt how wet she was.

His mouth moved to her bundle of nerves, two of his fingers thrusting earnestly into her heat. Emma felt as if her body was on fire, overwhelmed by the attention he was giving her. Wanting more, she started to grind herself on his fingers, her own fingers grabbing a fistful of his hair keeping his head steady on her folds. She started writhing when she felt her release build fast, her body tensing when it crashed over her in waves as she screamed his name over and over.

“Oh God…oh God…” Emma mumbled as she came back from her orgasm, Killian now on top of her, smirking with his scruff covered with her juices. She pushed her upper body up so she could crash her lips on his, tasting herself on him, her hands going for his pants so she could take them off, since she desperately needed to feel him filling her.

Killian decided to stand up to properly take his pants off, as she backed herself up on her bed, her head now near the headboard.

Emma’s eyes widened and her mouth watered at the sight of his cock jutting out of its confines, her legs instantly spreading themselves. He crawled up to her in a predatory way, kissing her fervently when his head levelled hers. Emma’s hand went to grab his cock firmly, drawing out a low moan from his throat.

Her thumb went to caress the head spreading his precum. She started pumping her hand up and down his shaft, his forehead falling down on hers, as he moaned her name.

“Emma…oh Emma. You need to stop—I need to feel you now.” He told her, his voice completely wrecked.

She complied and guided him to her entrance. He pushed the tip in slowly, savoring her welcoming heat before thrusting his hips forward so he could fill her up completely. They laid there, breathing heavily as they both adjusted to each other.

Killian pulled his cock out until the tip remained so he could thrust his hips forward again, setting a slow pace.

Emma’s hands went to his back, clawing his skin, moaning into the crook of neck. The slow pace gradually increased, as he raised his upper body, raising her legs to his shoulder so he could go deeper.

The change in position made had him hitting the spot that made Emma see stars, as she started to cry out from pleasure. He felt his own release approach, and dropped his hand to where they were joined rubbed her clit in tight circles, making her come in a matter of seconds.

He helped her ride out her orgasm gliding his cock a couple of times more until his release overwhelmed him.

He released her legs from his shoulders as she dropped them around his waist, him still inside her. His body crushed hers lightly as they kissed lazily, savoring the afterglow of their coupling.

After Killian pulled himself from Emma, they cleaned themselves up and cuddled until they fell asleep.

-/-

Emma’s head was pounding, feeling a bit hungover. She woke to the sound of a ringing coming from afar. It slowly got louder until she opened her eyes, realising that it was her phone ringing. She was about to get up when her answering machine stopped her, hearing her voice telling the caller to leave a message after the beep.

It was followed by Milah’s high-pitched voice, panicking over the fact that Killian never came home the previous night.

At the mention of his name she heard a groan coming from the other side of the bed, knowing very well to whom it belonged. Her eyes widened in horror when the events of the night before came seeping back.

The second her best friend finished her message, there was another ringing sound coming at the bottom of the bed. Emma covered her chest with her blanket as she sat up on her bed and started nudging Killian so he would wake up.

He finally started to move, his head turning towards her; his hair tussled from his sleep.

“Oh my God, Killian wake up! Wake up!” She told him, in complete panic.

He finally opened his eyes, squinting at her. “What is it, love?” His voice was all groggy.

“Milah just called!” She told him, her voice high. That comment seemed to wake him up as he immediately jumped out of bed, showing off his naked butt as he grabbed his pants.

He took his phone out of his pocket, and started cursing incessantly.“Fuck! Seven missed calls! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He started roaming her apartment, gathering the pieces of clothing they had scattered last night.

Emma got up from her bed, covering her naked body with her robe as she followed him, helping him gather his things. When he finished getting himself dressed, he went to grab Milah’s clutch and went to open the door and stopped, turning around to look at her.

They both looked at each other with a look mix with confusion and sadness.

“What are you going to tell her?” Asked Emma, her voice shaking, almost breaking.

“I don’t know.” He told her, distraught.

“Well I need to know. You know she’s going to keep calling me until I give her an answer! She won’t give up.” She told him.

“Ugh, just…just tell her I hung out with Graham after I came to get her purse, and that you don’t know where we went after. I’ll talk to Graham, he’ll back me up. Okay?” Killian asked her, completely distressed by the turn of events.

“Okay.” Emma responded in a low voice, unable to move from her spot.

He looked at her with a sad smile and left.

She was brought out of her thoughts almost immediately when phone rang again. Knowing it was Milah, she decided to answer now so she could get over it. “Hello.”

“EMMA!! Why haven’t you answered any of my calls? I have been calling you all morning! Where are you when I need you?” Milah screamed over the phone as Emma pulled her ear away.

“Sorry, I was sleeping and I just didn’t hear the phone ring.” She explained.

“Whatever. Killian didn’t come home last night. Do you think he’s cheating on me?” She blurted anxiously.

“Why would you think that?” Asked Emma as she felt a pang of shame.

“Didn’t you just hear what I just said? He didn’t come home last night! Geez are you still asleep?”

Emma brushed her last comment aside and inhaled deeply before answering with the alibi Killian asked her to give. “Well, I remember that Killian came back to the restaurant to get your purse, and that shortly after he left with Graham. Maybe they went to have a drink.”

Emma felt more and more dirty as she told the lie, knowing exactly where Killian was, and what he was doing—more specifically _who_ he was doing.

“Wait a second!” Milah told her as she heard her fumble with her phone. “It’s _him_!” She said as she quickly hung the line before Emma could say anything.

She looked at her phone, confused with everything that just happened. She sat on her bed, looking at the space in front of her.

What the hell did she get herself into?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the review/follow/favorite, it is always appreciated.
> 
> So, from here on now, this story is rated M.
> 
> Thanks to Nicki, oncertwice for being such a supportive friend and helping me when in doubt.

After Killian left, Emma went to wash her guilt away. She stood under the hot stream of water falling on top of her, reliving the events that occurred in the last 12 hours.

She still couldn't wrap her head around everything that happened, the engagement of two of her friends, being asked to be the maid of honor, her partially revealing her feelings to Killian, and of course the thing that fucked things up drastically, sleeping with Killian.

Emma had been waiting for that moment to happen for so long now, ever since college when she finally embraced the feelings she had for him. She had a various dreams where Killian would profess his love for her, how it has always followed by soft and gentle lovemaking, or Killian coming to her and telling her that he left Milah because she wasn't the one that he really loved but it was her. But fate had a twisted sense of humour.

She did have what she always wanted, a night with him, but at what cost? Being the other woman? Destroying an engagement? Having him reject her afterwards, telling her it was a mistake? Losing two friends?

She also hated herself for how they left things this morning, not having a chance to properly talk through what happened, instead they had a rough wake up call and as usual as soon as something good happened to her, it gets torn away from her.

Emma leaned her head back on the shower wall, as she assimilated all the possible outcomes of this situation, and none of them ended up in a happy ending.

She finished cleaning herself and got out of the shower. She dried herself up and put on her robe before going back into her bedroom. When she saw the state in which her room was, her sheets in a pile, the dress she wore last night lying at the foot of the bed, her panties tossed away on the other side of the room, she couldn't stop the images of their night of passion rushing through her head.

Emma groaned at the confusion she felt and decided that she needed to clean her room from any evidence of their betrayal. She grabbed the clothes scattered around the floor, grabbed all of the sheets of her bed and with the pile of fabric she went to her washing machine to clean it up.

She went to the closet in the hallway and took new sheets to cover her bed. When she was done, she dressed herself up with her trademark pair of jeans and a camisole.

Emma decided to clean her apartment a little, trying to forget the unwanted feelings she was having. After tidying up her kitchen, she realised that she was still overthinking the past events. She looked around her place and realised that if she stayed here doing nothing she would just ruminate on everything that had happened and decided to go bury herself in work, and go check on how things were going at her little diner.

When she entered her shop around 2 p.m., she was greeted by the sound of people chattering and saw her staff running around the place, trying to attend to the customers. She saw Ruby giving orders to the other employees behind the counter and smiled when she realised that she made the right call on making her in charge in her absence.

She walked in further in the room, and when her employees saw her sauntering in, they all straightened themselves and their behaviour changed slightly, and she couldn't help to chuckle at the effect she had on her staff.

Ruby walked around the counter when she saw her and came to see her with a worried look.

"Hey Emma, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, why do you ask?" She answered her trying to avoid her eyes.

"Well, because you're here and you don't come to work on weekends unless something happened in your personal life." Ruby stated putting her hands on her hips.

Emma shifted uncomfortably and tried to avoid the subject as she looked around the room.

"So, how are things here?" She asked the brunette as she scanned the room. She saw at the corner of her eye Ruby sighing at her sudden change of subject.

"It's very busy as you can see, and we need more change, we are running out of 5's."

"Okay, I'll go in my office get you some more." Emma left Ruby get back to her work, and went to the back of the store, where her office was. She took out her keys and unlocked the door and entered the small room. She sat on her chair as she bent to unlock the safe under her desk. She grabbed the metallic box lying inside, opened it with the help of a small key and took out a roll of five-dollar bills. She counted the amount she retrieved before going back to the front.

Emma was about to open the door that led her back into the diner when Ruby emerged from it.

"Oh, I was just coming out with the five-dollar bills." She told her employee as she waved the roll of paper in front of her.

"Great, actually I'm here because there's two persons who want to see you." The brunette told her as she was still holding the door open.

"Who is it?" Emma asked confused, who would come and see her during the weekend? She normally wasn't here on a Saturday.

"I don't know." She answered as she shrugged and grabbed the money from Emma's hand.

Her eyebrows furrowed at the lack of information and she walked through the door and when she saw the two persons who were waiting for her at the counter, her heart dropped.

She tried swallowing the lump in her throat without success, and she felt her heart beating at an alarming pace as she approached the couple. She cleared her throat before greeting not wanting to show her vulnerability.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Emma asked as she felt her palms get sweaty, immediately trying to dry them off on her thighs.

Killian and Milah's gaze shifted towards her when she spoke. Emma looked at the bride-to-be but she refused to land her eyes on him, knowing it would break her heart even more seeing what she couldn't have.

"Emma! We just dropped by to say hi, we were going to the movies and we had some time to spare." She explained.

"Oh, that's nice." She answered her voice shaking a little as she tried to smile, which was difficult considering that after what happened last night, everything went back as before, as if nothing happened.

"I know right? Oh, where's your restroom? I really need to pee before we go."

"Uh yeah, it's at the back of the hallway there, at your right." Explained Emma.

The second Milah left towards the bathroom, Killian and Emma both stood there with an awfully thick and uncomfortable silence between them. Killian's eyes finally landed on her with a concerned look as he inhaled deeply before opening his mouth.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, his voice wavering.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" She replied, her voice small and pained. She heard him sigh and saw him shifting slightly towards her.

"Emma, I know I left this morning a bit hastily and I'm sorry for that. But I really want to see you, alone. So we can talk about what happened." He pleaded as Emma finally found the courage to look up at him, locking her green eyes with his blue ones. He looked as wrecked as her, and it comforted her a little to know that this situation wasn't only weighing on her.

"Fine."

"Can I come here, during my lunch break on Monday?" He asked as his gaze was still on her, taking a step further into her personal space.

"Okay." She answered her voice breathy as she felt the heat radiating from his body, smelling his scent that was uniquely his. They were both brought out of their haze when Milah returned and stood between them.

"What's up?" She asked as she looked at both of them.

They both took a small step back and smiled at Milah, Killian answering her first.

"I was just asking her if she had fun last night at the party." Killian looked back at her with a look that told her to just go with it.

Emma's gaze switched to her friend who was looking at her.

"Did you?" Milah asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, I did."

"You know, I called Graham this morning to know if it was true if Killian spent the rest of the evening with him..." Milah started as she felt a wave of panic invade her, cursing inwardly and preparing herself to get slapped and saw Killian looked as guilty as her. "And after he told me he did, he started asking questions about you." She told her with a complotting smile as Emma felt this huge wave of relief take over her.

"He did?" Asked Killian, surprised as he looked at his fiancée, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, he did." She turned her attention back to Emma before continuing. "I think he likes you, you should go on a date with him." She told her, eyebrow raised.

Before Emma could come up with an excuse, Killian interjected.

"Well, I don't know, Milah. I don't think he's her type." He told her in a defensive tone. Wait, was he _jealous_? How dare he!

"Not her type? Handsome, smart and funny wouldn't be her type? Come on honey!"

"Actually he is my type." Interrupted Emma her head held high as she glared at him. "You know what Milah? I might even consider a date with him." She looked back at Killian to gauge his reaction and he had his jaw clenched and his brows knitted.

"Great!" Exclaimed Milah. "We're going to be able to double date!" Emma smiled back at her friend with a winning smile.

Killian sighed and grabbed Milah by the waist. "Come on love, we should head back to the movie theatre." He told her, Emma deciphering an angry tone to his voice.

"Yeah, I should head back to work anyways. Enjoy your movie." Said Emma before turning her back around them and fleeing to the backstore, locking herself up in her office.

She slammed her hands on her desk as anger took over her. She was mad at him for getting jealous and trying to speak for her. How _dare_ he? He's the one who's engaged, he's the one who made the first move on her, he's the one who cheated and he's the one who left her.

She slumped down on her chair and rested her elbow on her desk as she buried her head into her hands, letting out the tears that she has been holding in since this morning.

_What a mess._

* * *

 

Monday arrived and Emma was already dreading her conversation with Killian.

She opened the diner at 7 a.m. as usual, waiting for Victor to come in and prepare the pastries before they opened the doors to customers.

When he arrived, she went into her office to make sure the money in the cash register was all there, and made a tour of the diner to make sure the staff did a good close.

When Ruby arrived at work, she came to see her immediately with pep in her step.

"Hey Emma, are you still looking for a new waitress?" She asked her boss.

"Yes, do you know someone?"

"I do, her name is Mary Margaret and she's very sweet and a hard worker." Said Ruby as she promoted the qualities of her friend.

"Perfect, give her a call and tell her to come by so I can interview her."

"Yay! I'll go do that this instant." The brunette took out her phone and went in the back.

The day went by as usual after that, until noon arrived and she started to get nervous, eyeing the door every time somebody came in.

The phone rang behind the counter and Emma went to take the call. It was her dairy distributor asking her for next week's order, the call took about 10 minutes and when Emma hung up the phone, she turned around and saw David in front of the counter, smiling at her.

"David!" Emma exclaimed as she saw him, not expecting him. She had completely forgotten that David would be here. He looked at her with a confounded look.

"Why are you surprised to see me? You know I come to eat my lunch here everyday."

"I know, I just… I didn't realize it was already noon." Lied Emma.

"Okay… are you alright? You look nervous."

Her eyes widened at his implication and she felt her heart race faster.

"I'm okay, you wanna go sit?" She deflected and walked around the counter and started to walk towards a table as David followed her.

They sat down at their usual table, David ordered his usual plate with a cup of coffee, and Emma ordered a hot chocolate.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked after the waitress took their order.

"I'm not hungry." She simply responded, hoping David would stop scrutinizing her.

Before any of them could say anything, she heard the ring of the bell above the entrance, and saw Killian enter. Her eyes stayed fixed on him as she took in the sight of him. He was wearing his everyday dark grey business suit, a white shirt with his black tie, and he looked as handsome as always.

When he entered, his eyes roamed the room looking for her, when his eyes locked on her he started walking towards her with a smile, which faltered when he saw that David was sitting with her.

"Hey guys, how are you?" He greeted them, trying not to sound disappointed.

David turned around to look at him, puzzled. "Hey Killian, what brings you here?"

Killian looked briefly at Emma, as she cast him a smile that said she was sorry.

"I was looking for a place to eat and decided to come to my friend diner." He told him as he scratched the back of his ear, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, as he expected to see only Emma.

"That's nice, but you don't work near here…" Stated David, Emma felt herself panic, not wanting David to know what had happened with Killian that night.

She could see that Killian didn't know what to say. Emma entered the conversation as she thought of a way out of this.

"Yes, but we got to talking Friday as we went drinking and we both agreed that we didn't see enough of each other lately, so he decided to come by to eat once in a while." She explained to her friend, his gaze shifting from her to Killian, clearly not convince about their story.

The waitress arrived with his food and with her hot chocolate as Killian sat down on an empty chair between them.

"You know what, I'll think I'll take my food to go. It's beautiful outside I think I'll go and enjoy the sun while I'm at it. I don't get to do that all day since I'm confined in my office." He got up, taking his plate and went to see Victor, asking him if he didn't mind putting his food in a container to go.

While the employee did as requested, David went to the register to pay. He came back to bid them goodbye and then left.

Emma and Killian sat in silence, neither knowing how to start this conversation as they both dreaded the outcome. She was the first one to speak, clearing her throat before doing so.

"Do you want something to eat?" She asked shyly.

"Thanks, but I'm okay, I ate something on my way here." He replied in an equally nervous voice.

"So." Simply said Emma with a smile. "You wanted to talk."

"I did." He inhaled deeply as he mustered all the courage he needed to in order to face this situation. Seeing that he wasn't saying anything Emma decided to end this as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"Look Killian, the other night was great, but I think we both know it was a mistake, so don't feel bad for letting me down easy. I mean, we were drunk and we didn't know what we were doing." She said to him as she chuckled, her throat feeling suddenly dry.

He looked at her with a pained expression. "I wasn't that drunk, I knew what I was doing, Emma. To be honest, I've been wanting _that_ for years now." He confessed, his words taking all of the air out of her lungs as she looked at him mouth agape, eyes wide.

"What?" She asked as she exhaled.

He leaned in, taking her hands in his. "Come on, Emma, we both know that there always has been something between us. Ever since we met, I have felt this, whatever it is, between us. I can't be the only one who feels it."

"You're not, but…" Hearing her response Killian smiled, and it quickly faded as she continued speaking. "…you're getting married, to my best friend. _This, …"_ her hands moved from him to her. "can't ever happen." It hurt her to finally admit out loud the outcome of their situation, and it clearly hurt him too as he slumped back in his chair, releasing her hand.

They both stayed in silence for a moment, pondering on what she just told him.

"Are you really considering going out with Graham?" Killian asked as he finally mustered the energy to talk again.

"Does it matter?"

"I need to know." His voice sounded wrecked.

"Why? Killian, nothing is ever going to happen with us. You're getting married for fuck's sake!" Emma burst, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"I know, but…I… please don't go out with him." He begged.

"Are you still marrying Milah?" She shot back with a stern look. When he didn't respond Emma eyes moved down to her hands, feeling a tear roll down her cheek as a sad smile crept onto her face. "That's what I thought."

Emma got up and Killian look at her with bewildered eyes.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to work, there's nothing else for us to talk about." She told him, defeated.

She walked back to the back of her store without even saying goodbye to him, feeling more tears climb their way through as her heart ached.

She arrived in front of her office door, taking out the keys to unlock it. When she opened the door, she heard the back door open and felt some hurried steps walk towards her.

Before she could turn around and register who it was, lips were firmly pressed on hers and she melted herself into it. Killian pushed her into her office, closing the door in the process. Emma's backside hit her desk, as their kiss grew passionate and desperate, hands fumbling with their clothes, wanting to feel their hot skin on each other.

She didn't notice when he had pulled down her jeans and panties, she doesn't even remember stepping out of them, the only thing she remembered was how he felt pressed up against her, lips kissing her hotly on her neck as she whimpered at his touch.

She heard the sound of his zipper and the next thing she knew she was hauled up on her desk, and felt his cock thrust into her wet heat.

They crashed their mouths together so they could cover up the sounds of their moans and grunts. He smacked his hips on hers, hard and fast, as they both wanted to feel the other as much as possible. It didn't take long for her orgasm to tumble over her as she moaned in ecstasy, his mouth on hers. Killian followed quickly after as growled hotly into her ear.

After they both came back from their high, they dressed themselves up in silence.

When they finished, they both stood in front of each other, flustered with their recent activity.

"Emma, I don't know what to do right now, but what I do know is that I feel strongly for you but I can't just throw five years with Milah out the window just like that." He explained to her with a miserable look. "Can we just give us a try, so we can see what this is?"

Emma stared at him not knowing how to answer, she couldn't possibly agree to this. She would be completely crazy to accept seeing him while he was still engaged so they could see what this could lead to. She was only going to end up with her heart broken.

Emma kept thinking about his proposal and her answer surprised her as much as it did him.

"Okay, let's give it a try."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who reviewed here or on ff.net!
> 
> There isn’t that much plot development in this chapter, but things will start to heat up in next chapter, so just bear with me!
> 
> I’m really excited for what’s going to happen in the next chapter so hopefully it won’t take me too much time for the next update!
> 
> Thanks to Nicki, oncertwice for editing it and helping me when I need advice.
> 
> Read and Enjoy!

Ruby can you come in here, please?” Emma asked through her open office door when she heard her employee coming in the back of the diner.

“What’s up?” The brunette asked, her head peeking inside the office.

“I hired your friend Mary Margaret and she’s starting out today, so I would like you to do her training.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Emma’s phone beeped, alerting her of a new message as Ruby answered her. She looked at her screen and saw that it was a message from Killian, which made Emma smile.

“Do you need me for something else?” asked the brunette.

Emma looked back at her and shook her head. “No that’s all; she’ll be here at 10 o’clock, by the way.” She told her as she unlocked her phone so she could read his message.

_Looking forward for tonight. xx_

She stared at his message and couldn’t stop smiling at it and was hoping the day would go quickly. She shifted her chair around and looked at the stack of papers she needed to attend to and hoped it would keep her busy enough until the end of the day.

-/-

The morning went by quickly and the lunch rush was approaching.

Emma went to verify if the cash register had enough change for the incoming rush, and she watched as Mary Margaret attempted to take the order on her first table, Ruby not far away making sure she was okay.

Emma was happy that she listened to her best employee, seeing how the short-haired brunette did well until now. She was kind, sweet and very welcoming towards the clients and they really seemed to enjoy her company.

When she went to the computer screen to enter the client’s order, Emma went to see her.

“So, how is it going so far? Not too overwhelmed?” She asked her newest employee as she touched her shoulder gently.

“No, everything is going fine. Ruby is very good at showing me around and how things work.” Mary Margaret answered her. She smiled at her happily knowing that things might turn out good with her.

“Good. So I’ll be in my office getting some change, I’ll be back in a bit.”

She left to her office and came back five minutes later, seeing David sitting at his usual table, Mary Margaret standing next to him and fiddling with a piece of paper and her pen. He looked entranced by her as she stood next him.

Emma went to join her friend and sat in the chair in front of him.

They both didn’t realise that she had arrived and they continued exchanging words as if they were both teenagers. Emma couldn’t stifle the chuckle that escaped her mouth, making her presence known.

When Mary Margaret saw her boss sitting at the table, her eyes widened, a guilty look spreading on her face, as if she was caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to do.

“Oh, Emma, I was just taking his order and—“ She started babbling, but Emma quickly interrupted her.

“It’s okay, Mary Margaret, don’t worry. This is David, my childhood friend. He comes in every day for his lunch. David, this is my new waitress, Mary Margaret.” She told them, looking at her with a reassuring smile, hoping it would appease the new girl.

David gave her his order, and Emma ordered her usual cup of hot chocolate.

When she left their table to go place their order, Emma’s gaze locked on David, a smile spreading across her face.

“What?” Asked David, a little concerned.

“You have the hots for her, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He answered, trying to look innocent, which made Emma chuckle.

“Really? I mean, from afar you two looked like two shy, uncomfortable teenagers, it was cute.” She teased.

“Yeah, whatever.” He replied as he glanced not too subtly at Mary Margaret, who was standing behind the counter pouring his cup of coffee. “So, is Killian joining us today?” Emma’s eyes locked on David’s for a brief moment before looking down to her hands, feeling her heart beat faster at the mention of Killian.

“No, why would he be?” She asked, casually trying to cover the nervousness the subject had made her feel.

“You tell me. I don’t about you, but don’t you find it weird that he would come here for lunch when he has never shown any interest in the past 3 years to come and see you here?” David’s eyes were fixated on hers, and she tried looking away but couldn’t. She felt as if she was caught.

“There’s nothing to tell, David. And like Killian told you that day, we got to talking the night of his engagement party and both agreed we should see more of each other.” She explained, trying to hold it together and not crack under pressure.

She felt bad that she couldn’t tell David about what was really happening, but she was afraid he would judge her and make her feel even guiltier. Besides, she and Killian both agreed that no one could know about them, not even their best friends.

“Whatever’s going on, Emma, please be careful.” He told her as he leaned in taking her hands in his, concern written all over his face. “I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”

Emma looked at him mouth slightly open, dumbfounded with what was happening. She didn’t know if he knew about them but he definitely had his suspicious. They stood in silence, waiting for Mary Margaret to come back with their order.

When their hot drinks arrived, they decided to clear the heavy and uncomfortable silence away and started to talk about their usual stuff.

-/-

The moment she unlocked the door to her apartment, Emma got out of her boots and tossed them on the entrance mat and took off her red leather jacket, dropping it on the bench next to her door.

She was exhausted and grateful that the day was now over, especially since Killian was going to come over.

The thought made her nervous and excited at the same time. She went around her place to make sure everything was clean—that she didn’t have a pair of panties or socks lying on the floor—making sure there weren’t too many dirty dishes in the sink.

When she finished her tour, there was knock on the door, and she cursed herself since she didn’t have time to check if she was presentable, as she was still in her work clothes.

Emma ran to the door and stopped in front of it, looking herself in the mirror next to it, making sure she looked okay. She laughed at herself—since when did she become such a nervous wreck over a guy? Then she remembered that Killian wasn’t just any other guy.

She inhaled deeply as she dropped her hand to the doorknob and opened the door. Her breath got stuck in her throat when she saw him, his tie loose on his neck with three buttons of his shirt undone, and his jacket on his arm, his hair tousled. When he saw her, he grinned at her and she felt herself blush.

“Swan.” He simply greeted.

“Jones.” She breathed out, not moving from her spot.

“Can I come in?”

“Uh, yeah come in.” She told him as she moved herself to the side so he could enter her apartment.

 He dropped his briefcase and jacket on the bench next to her red leather jacket.

Emma stood next to him with her hands buried in the back pockets of her skinny jeans.

They were both uncomfortable with this new situation and didn’t know how to act around each other, and she hated herself for that.

“So…” she started hesitantly and they both started laughing at their current state.

“This is awkward, isn’t it?” He asked still laughing.

“It kinda is.” She told with a smile, she sighed before opening her mouth again. “Do you want a beer?”

“That’d be great, thank you.”

“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be back with the beer.” She told him as she gestured toward her couch. She went into the kitchen and opened her fridge, taking two cold beers out of it. Emma went to join him on the couch and she still felt her hands shaking.

“Here you go.” She handed him his beer, and opened hers before toasting with him.

“Thanks.” They took a sip of their beers, and sat in silence.

“So, how was work?” She asked, trying to break the tension.

“Good, as usual. You?”

“Also good, I have a new waitress and I think David likes her.”

They both chuckled at her comment and then they fell back into their previous uncomfortable silence, as they sipped their drinks.

“Well, this is awkward.” Stated Killian with a tight smile.

Emma smiled at him sadly, quickly shifting her gaze to her hands holding her beer.

“It is.” She exhaled tiredly and dropped her drink on the coffee table before looking back at him. “Maybe… maybe it’s just because we’re not used to this type of relationship. I mean, we’ve always been friends. Nothing more. Now we’ve crossed _that_ line, the line beyond the friend zone.” Emma told him as she tried to rationalize their current situation.

Killian nodded as he leaned forward to deposit his beer next to hers. Leaning back on the couch, he turned his upper body towards her so he could have a better look at her.

“Maybe you’re right.” He responded with one of his thick eyebrows slightly raised upward, something she noticed he always did without being aware of it. His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip quickly before he opened his mouth to talk.

Emma’s eyes followed the movement of his tongue and felt liquid heat gather between her thighs.

He was talking to her but she had a hard time listening as she felt her body humming with this need to just grab him and kiss him. She raised her eyes up to meet his worried look when he said her name.

“Emma? Are you—” Killian didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, since he was cut off by Emma who grabbed his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss.

He groaned at her actions and didn’t waste any time in responding to her kiss, his hands cupping the back of her head. He tilted his head to the side so he could deepen the kiss as Emma pushed him back so she could straddle him as he sat on the couch.

She pushed her hips down, pressing their cores together, which make them moan into each other mouths.

Their hands went to the other’s chests as they tried to undress each other, desperate for some skin-on-skin contact.

When they succeeded on taking off their shirts, his hands instantly went to cup her bosom, teasing her nipples as his mouth laid open mouth kisses on her neck and collarbone.

Emma kept rolling her hips on his, trying to get as much friction as possible, her hands grabbing a fistful of his hair as his mouth latched onto one of her breasts.

They separated for a moment, their breath coming out short and quick as she got up so she could she shimmy out of her pants, taking her panties with them.

Killian did the same with his pants, his hard cock jutting out of his boxers, now resting on his stomach.

Emma licked her lips at the sight of him, and felt herself getting wetter as she straddled him, taking his shaft in her hands pumping it a few times before aligning her slit on it, slowly sinking down as she felt him stretch her.

When he was completely buried inside of her, they pressed their foreheads together, panting trying to get a hold at themselves.

Emma positioned her hands on his strong shoulders for some support, his hands on her waist, and started to raise her hips up so she could push them back down not long after. She set a fast pace for them, making him moan and groan at her movements.

He moved one of his hands to the back of her neck pulling her in for a searing kiss, the other hand traveling between them to where they were joined as he started to draw fast circles on her clit, making her come undone in a matter of minutes, him following her shortly after.

She stayed on his lap with him still inside her as they kissed lazily her hands buried in his hair while his hands stroked her back, covered with a sheen of sweat.

Killian broke the kiss and sighed as he brushed his nose with hers. He leaned in for chaste kiss before breaking their afterglow.

“I need to go. Milah must be waiting for me.”

As soon as his words were out, the content and sated feeling she had was replaced by guilt, rejection and sadness.

She leaned back her head and met his blue eyes. He looked completely wrecked as Emma nodded slowly. His hands went to cup her cheeks as he rested his forehead on hers.

“I would rather stay here with you, I hope you know that.”

“Then stay. Don’t go.” She asked as she tried to hold back her tears.

“I can’t. Milah is waiting for me.” He answered, his voice filled his reluctance to leave.

She let out a shaky breath, feeling defeated, and got up so she could let him get himself dressed. She grabbed her clothes from the floor and went to her room to put on her robe.

When she came back to her living room, Killian was just finishing dressing himself and he walked towards her entrance to grab his jacket and his briefcase.

She joined him, and when he was ready they faced each other. He brought his hand forward, taking her hand in his and pulling her in for a hug, her hands automatically going to rest on his back. She placed her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the scent that was uniquely his.

“I’m sorry, Emma, for leaving already.” He mumbled, his mouth near her ear.

“Are you coming back tomorrow?” Emma asked in a small voice, filled with insecurity.

“Do you want me to?” He asked her as he dropped a soft kiss on her cheek, trying to comfort her.

“Yes.”

“See you tomorrow then, love.” He leaned his head back so they could kiss chastely.

After he left, Emma went to grab the two unfinished bottles of beer and went to pour the liquid into the sink before rinsing the bottles and throwing them away.

She went back to her room and dropped herself on her bed, lying on her back as she staring at the ceiling and wondering if she would always feel this mix of happiness, guilt, and emptiness every time they would have their secret meetings.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! So here’s a new chapter and I really hope you like it! Things start to heat up now as it gets more angsty!
> 
> Thanks to all of you who shower me with love, telling me how much you like this story, it’s very overwhelming!
> 
> A big thank you to Nicki, oncertwice for editing and helping me make some choices concerning the plot of the story!
> 
> Read and enjoy!

It had been a couple of weeks now that Killian and Emma had been meeting after work at her place. It was usually heated and raw passion as they tore their clothes off so that they could give in their carnal pleasures. It was usually followed by them cuddling before Killian had to leave so he could go back to his place, with Milah.

Every time he left, she felt as if the cracks in her heart just kept on cutting deeper and deeper. She hated that in one evening she could go from feeling happy and fulfilled to feeling sad and guilty.

Lately Emma had been wanting to talk to Killian about how she felt about their situation, but was afraid that if she did, he would come back to his senses and end what they had. Despite the fact that she hated being the other woman and having to share him, she didn’t want it to end.

She was confused with this situation and the feelings were keeping her awake at night. The fact that nobody was aware of them, that she didn’t have someone to talk to, made it a lot worse.

She went to work this morning as usual, going through her normal routine. Her eyes felt heavy and she had obvious shadows under her eyes, not bothering to conceal it this morning.

When Ruby arrived at 9 o’clock, she looked at Emma with a worried look and decided that it was time to talk with her boss, who had been looking more tired everyday. She took advantage off the fact that it was a slow morning and they only had three customers who had already received their breakfast. When Emma passed by the counter, Ruby saw her chance.

“Emma, can I talk to you for a second?” Ruby interrupted her boss as she walked by.

“What is it Ruby, you need a day off?” She asked.

“No, my schedule this week is fine with me. I just wanted to know if you were feeling okay?” She asked tilting her head to the side, concern in her voice.

Emma gulped hard, feeling as if she had been caught. She blinked a couple of times and cleared her throat before answering her employee.

“I’m fine, why do you ask?” She told her, trying to keep her voice normal.

“I don’t know, it’s just that lately you have been acting all happy and chirpy in the afternoon, and you leave work carefree, but you always come in to work sad, looking almost as if you didn’t sleep at all. I’m just worried about you.”

She didn’t know that her private life was taking over her work life this much, and felt as if she owed Ruby an explanation since she was the only who had the guts to ask her if everything was okay.

“Look, Ruby, thanks for your concern, but everything is fine.” She smiled back at her employee, hoping she had laid her concerns to rest. Emma started to walk toward the back of the diner when Ruby interrupted her again.

“Just so you know Emma, I don’t believe you. I think something is going on that has your mind preoccupied, but I know you. You won’t tell anybody what’s going on because you’re worried about what they’d think of you. I won’t judge, but if you don’t want to talk to me, it’s fine. Just don’t beat yourself up and keep whatever it is to yourself.”

Emma went still at Ruby’s words. She didn’t think Ruby knew her that well, and that she cared for her beyond her work function. She felt bad that she refused to open up to her on her issues, but it was better that way. She raised her eyes levelling them with Ruby’s brown ones, and smiled kindly.

“Thanks, Ruby, I’ll think about it.” With that said, she went back to her small office, locking the door behind her, thinking about what the brunette had just told her. She was right about one thing: she couldn't keep going on with this secret without talking to someone about it.

The day went by like every other day, David came to eat his lunch at the same time he did every day and Emma hesitated on telling him about Killian. When he left, she realized that she still hadn't made up her mind, so he went back to his workplace knowing nothing about her affair.

After he left she went into the freezer that was the size of her small office, with a pad with her the sheets she used to write down her order of products. The door opened and Jefferson's head peeked in, telling her she had a phone call.

She stopped what she was doing and walked out of the cold room, enjoying the fact that she was now warm. She walked to her office and grabbed the phone, pressing the button of the line that was on hold.

"Hello?"

"Emma! It's Milah!" Milah chirped on the other side of the line, as Emma’s body stayed still at the sound of Killian's fiancée.

"Hey, Milah, how are you?" Emma asked as normally as she could.

"I'm great. Look, what are you doing tonight?"

She was doing the same thing she has been doing in the past month, sleeping with Milah’s boyfriend.

"Uh, nothing in particular." She lied.

"Perfect. Do you want to go out to eat with me? It’s been awhile since we saw each other."

Emma really didn’t know how to answer her friend, knowing she would feel guilty during the diner, but if she didn’t go she knew that Milah would keep insisting until she said yes.

“Sure, why not?” She answered reluctantly. “Where did you want to go?”

“The same restaurant where we had my engagement party, the food is amazing there. Be there at 8 and wear something nice, no jeans or leather!”

“I will.”

“Yay! See you tonight then!” She yelped on the other side of the line before hanging up, leaving her no time to say goodbye.

Emma hung up the phone on her desk and sat on her chair. She was already feeling the nervousness coursing through her body, as she dreaded the evening that was about to come.

She took her cell phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and unlocked it. She tapped on the text messaging icon and touched Killian’s name, opening on their most recent conversation. She turned her phone to the side so she could write him a message.

_I have to cancel tonight. Something came up, I’ll tell you about it tomorrow._

She hit send, and it only took a couple of seconds before he answered.

**_Ok, I’ll miss you. See you tomorrow. xx_ **

Emma smiled at his message and put her phone back into her jeans.

-/-

Emma arrived at the restaurant a bit late on purpose, wanting to the delay her evening with Milah as long as possible.

She had put on a simple dark red dress with thin straps, the hem of the dress stopping just above her knee, and wore a simple pair of black stilettos. She decided to cover up the dark circles under her eyes and put on some mascara, leaving her straightened hair loose.

She opened the heavy glass door of the restaurant and went to see the hostess.

“Hi, I’m here to join someone.” She told the hostess, but before the woman could ask her for the name of the person she was joining, Emma heard someone call her name loudly. She turned her head to where the voice came from and her heart stopped.

Milah was standing next to the table waving at her, and next to her was Killian dressed in a nice black suit, probably the same he wore to work, and across from Milah was Graham.

She cast them a forced smile, and walk towards them, trying to avoid Killian’s gaze. When she arrived at their table Milah pulled her in for a hug, when she was free from her embrace, Killian came to greet her, acting as if they hadn’t seen each other for weeks.

When he leaned in for a quick hug and kiss on her cheek, she felt her stomach flutter as she smelled his scent, telling herself that instead of being here, they both could be in her apartment away from these people and enjoying each other.

When they broke the hug she searched his eyes subtly, and when her eyes met his, there was a hint of panic in his eyes as well. Emma felt somewhat alleviated knowing it wasn’t just her who was freaking out.

Emma then turned around to Graham who was also wearing a nice dark grey suit. He smiled shyly at her before greeting her with a hug. She then sat down on the chair across from Killian, feeling her body shake slightly her nerves taking over her.

“So this is quite a surprise. I thought we were having diner just the two of us.” Emma said to Milah, as her friend picked up the bottle of red wine on the table and poured her a glass. She grabbed the glass gladly, knowing she could use some alcohol if she wanted to survive this evening.

“Yeah, well, I decided to invite the guys, thinking it would be more fun this way.” Milah responded her as she stroked Killian’s hand that was splayed on the table. Emma’s eyes followed Milah’s hand, feeling a pang of jealousy course through her. She lifted her eyes to her friend and tried to cast the most genuine smile she could muster.

“Well, it _does_ spice things up.” She said as she took a sip from her wine.

The evening went by with no major incident but it was overall awkward.

Milah had clearly arranged the whole evening so it was a double date, Emma’s date being Graham. After they all had a common topic of conversation, Graham’s attention was now focused on Emma, and Milah took advantage of it as she turned her upper body towards Killian and got flirty with him, making Emma sick to her stomach. It wasn’t the first time Emma saw her friend acting this way in public with her boyfriend but it was the first time since she started to have an affair with him.

She tried to distract herself from that sight and turned her attention to Graham. He was nice, sweet and interesting but he wasn’t the one she wanted to spend time alone with. Throughout the evening Killian and Emma kept stealing glances at each other when the other two weren’t looking.

After her second glass of wine, Emma excused herself, telling the others she needed to go to the bathroom. Killian also got up telling her that he’d walk with her since he also needed to go to the bathroom.

They walked in silence towards the hallway where the restroom was. It was two single bathrooms, one for men and one for women.

Killian looked over his shoulder, making sure no one was around when he rested his hand on the small of her back as they entered one of the bathrooms. When they were finally alone, Killian’s hand went to cradle the back of her head, his arm wrapping her in a tight embrace.

Emma’s hands went to rest on his shoulders as he pressed his lips on hers, kissing her desperately. They quickly broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together, both enjoying the heat exuding from their skin.

“We don’t have much time.” Emma whispered on his lips, kissing him softly.

“I know, but I had to be alone with you. I’ve been wanting to kiss you all night.” He told her as he kissed her jaw. When his lips started to leave soft, wet kisses on her neck, she moaned almost silently as his right hand held the back of her head as the other hand went to grab the flesh of her covered hips. He pressed his body into hers, and she could feel his pants getting tighter.

His hand left her hip and traveled down until it reached the hem of her red dress and started to pull the fabric up, trailing his hand softly up her thigh. She whimpered at his touch and felt her knees go week his mouth nipped her earlobe.

When his hand went to cup her core, her hips jerked at the contact, knowing her panties were now moist with her arousal. Emma was succumbing to his touch, forgetting completely about the two other persons waiting for them at the table.

When Killian moaned, his fingers pushing the fabric away and teasing her wet folds, Emma’s eyes shot open as she dropped her hands on his chest, pushing him away.

“Killian.” She panted as she straightened her dress, feeling her body going cold without his. “We can’t do this here, Milah is in the other room. It’s just _wrong_.”

His right hand went to rub the back of his neck as he sighed.

“It’s no more wrong than what we’ve been doing, love.” He stated. She looked at him, confused.

“Yeah, well, I can’t do this here when I know your fiancée is waiting for you a few feet away, and I’m supposedly on a date.” Said Emma as she tried reasoning with him. At the mention of her date, Killian cringed.

“Look, I’ll go back now, I don’t want either of them coming to look for us.” She turned her back to him and went to unlock the door. When her hand was on the door handle, Killian’s voice stopped her.

“Are we still seeing each other tomorrow night?” He asked, insecure and vulnerable.

Emma turned her head and smiled at him as she nodded. She opened the door and went back to join the others. She sat back at the table as if nothing had happened.

“What took you so long?” Asked Milah.

“There was a lot of people waiting for the restroom.” Emma lied as she smiled at her friend, feeling dirty for what she was really doing. Killian joined them shortly after, putting on the same act as she had.

When the evening finally ended, Graham insisted on walking Emma home. She told him that he could and saw Killian shift uncomfortably at her response, and when she glanced at him he had his hands on his pockets, jaw clenched.

The couples said their goodbyes and walked in different directions. Emma felt uncomfortable during the walk back home with Graham at her side. She really didn’t want to string him along with this madness so she decided to let him down easy.

“So, this was nice.” He told her with a shy smile.

“Yeah, it was.” She answered softly. They stood facing each other for a little while before Emma gathered the courage to tell him she wasn’t interested.

“Look, um, Graham. I really had a nice time talking to you tonight but I think it’s better if kept this on a platonic note.” She blurted as she waited for his response.

“If it’s what you want, I won’t insist on anything more.” He told her kindly, he was definitely very sweet.

“Thanks for understanding.”

He bid her goodnight and she went into her building, leaving this awkward evening behind.

-/-

The next day, Emma went to work, exhausted as usual, as she kept ruminating on her actual love life. When she saw Ruby’s concerned look again this morning she decided that she really needed someone’s advice.

When David arrived for his lunch break, Emma waited for him to have his food so they wouldn’t get interrupted.

“David, I need to tell you something but you have to promise me you won’t pass any judgement on me, okay?” She asked him with a pleading tone in her voice. When he scrutinized her tired and worried look, he nodded as he answered her question.

“I promise. What is it?”

“I’m having an affair.” She simply said, waiting to see his reaction before adding more details of the situation she was in. His eyes widened in surprise, his mouth agape.

“Okay. Do I know the guy?” She looked back at him, her eyebrows moving upwards.

“It’s Killian.” She answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

“ _WHAT_?” David asked loudly enough for the tables around them to shoot them an annoyed look.

“Shhh!” She shushed him her hand waving, telling him to drop his voice.

“Killian? _Really_? You know he’s engaged, right? To your _friend_?” He asked her, clearly outraged.

“David, you promised you wouldn’t judge me.” She said, her voice small as she felt her eyes water.

“I’m sorry, but it’s just that this is big! Does he intend to leave?” He asked.

“I don’t know, I mean, he wants to give us a try.” She explained as David huffed.

“I mean, what does expect? To have both girls and walk away with it? I hope you told him no.” When Emma didn’t answer, Davis seemed to get angrier.

“Come on Emma, really? You _agreed_ to this? You’re letting him use you and then go back to her after he’s been with you? You’re better than this, Emma.”

She felt tears fall down her cheeks as she felt this huge lump in her throat, making it hard to speak. She knew if she opened her mouth to say anything she would start crying and wouldn’t be able to stop.

David was voicing all of her insecurities and the doubts she’d been having since this mess began. It hurt to hear someone tell her how the situation really sounded. David stopped his ranting when he saw how affected she was by his words, taking time for him to calm down.

“Do you love him?” He asked her, his voice now in a normal pitch. She nodded as she looked at her friend, her eyes watery.

“Does he love you?”

Emma shrugged her shoulders as she felt more tears fall, she realised she didn’t know what his feelings towards her were. She knew he liked her, but _love_ her? She didn’t have a clue.

“Look, you need to tell him to make his choice unless you want this to end up with Milah finding out or him getting married and ditching you after. You need to give him an ultimatum. He needs to choose: you or her.”

Her eyes were fixed on David’s mug as she tried to get her feelings under control. She knew David was right, and that was why she needed to talk to him, so he could knock some sense into her.

-/-

That night Emma got home at the same time as usual and was waiting for Killian to arrive. She was pacing around her living room, not able to stand still as she was anxious of what she needed to tell Killian.

When she heard the knock on her door, she stopped, her eyes staring at the door. She finally regained the ability to move her legs and walked towards the door unlocking the safe and the lock, opening the door.

Killian was standing on the other side with a smile, clearly happy that he was now seeing her alone. She took a few steps back, opening the door a little further so he could come in. She closed the door behind him and it didn’t take long for him to press his body into hers, as she was now pressed between him and the door.

He captured her lips with his for a searing kiss. His hands went to the top of her pants, his fingers already working on the button. Emma’s eyes shot open as his mouth was still kissing her desperately. She managed to break the kiss, pushing him a little bit so there was some space between them. Killian looked at her, confusion written all over his face.

“What it is it, love?”

“We need to talk before we do anything else.” She told him, her voice shaky.

He nodded and took a couple of steps back. She gestured toward her couch and they both walked towards it, taking a seat next to each other.

“What’s on your mind?” He asked, worried.

“It’s just that I can’t—I can’t keep doing this.” She managed to tell him, her words clearly hurting him.

“You don’t want to see me anymore?”

“I do, I just can’t keep this secret anymore. I don’t want to share you anymore, I want you to be with me only.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you have to choose: me or Milah. It can’t be both of us anymore.”

His body slumped on the couch hearing Emma’s ultimatum.

“You want me to choose now?” He asked, completely wrecked with this whole situation.

“Not now but soon. Because if you can’t choose, I will make this easier for you and end it for good.” She managed to tell him with a stern voice, making him understand that she wouldn’t be backing down from this.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So I have been planning out the rest of this story, and it’s safe to say that we are about half-way through it. I’m really excited to write what’s about to come.
> 
> So for now enjoy this update, it’s not that long (I wanted to write it longer) but I really wanted to update since I won’t be very active for the days to come, since I’ll be busy with work and have the wedding of my best friend this weekend!
> 
> Thanks to Nicki ( oncertwice ) as usual for helping me with this fic and exchange ideas with me!
> 
> Read and enjoy!

It had been three days since Emma had last seen Killian, the day she decided to tell him that he needed to choose between her and Milah.

That night, she had been nervous to talk to him, to ask him to choose, but she needed to stand up for herself because she couldn’t handle the pressure and the guilt that their secret relationship had on her.

Emma had really hoped that he was going to choose her without any doubt, but deep inside her she knew that it wasn’t that simple. Even if he didn’t love Milah the way he used to, he had spent the last five years of his life with her.

She wasn’t surprised when he told her that he needed to think about it before making a decision. The rest of their evening was tense, and Emma felt more exhausted and pained when he left.

Since then, she hadn’t heard any news from him and she was starting to worry that maybe what they had might have just ended. When David asked her the next day what he said, she told him that he was going to think about it. She knew her friend was proud of her for standing up for herself but she would never tell him how making that decision had made her miserable, and for the last couple of days she went to bed crying herself to sleep.

Emma was now walking down the streets as she was trying to locate the shop Milah had told her to meet her in the day before. Milah texted her the day before telling her she needed Emma to come shop for her wedding dress, and as the maid of honor she couldn’t say no. So, Emma left the diner in the hands of Ruby for the rest of the day as she went to meet with Killian’s fiancée.

She finally found the shop and went in, realising she was ten minutes late, and started preparing herself for Milah’s complaining. Entering the shop, she looked around and found her sitting on a weirdly shaped white couch, as she was texting someone.

“Hey, Milah, sorry I’m late.” She told her with an apologetic smile. Milah got up, putting away her phone back in her Louis Vuitton purse, and pulled Emma in for a hug.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it!” She replied and Emma felt puzzled by her reaction. Since when did Milah not overreact over the fact that she had been left waiting? Emma shrugged her shoulders lightly and decided to take advantage of the brunette’s good mood.

“Okay, so I have already selected 4 dresses I really like so you need to help me choose!” She told her as she took her hand and dragged her to the back, where Milah could try the dresses on.

Emma saw a couch where she could sit, and went to rest her legs while her friend tried on the first dress. As she was waiting, her phone beeped inside her purse. She took it out and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Killian who had just texted her.

Her hand was shaking a little and looked up to where Milah was getting changed to make sure she wasn’t coming out. Her eyes went back to her phone and clumsily unlocked it. She opened Killian’s message as she felt her heart beating so fast she thought it would free itself from her ribcage.

**_Sorry for not having given you any news sooner, I’ve been busy at work. Can we see each other soon? Tonight, perhaps?_ **

Emma reread the message about three times, not knowing what to think. Was it true that he had been busy at work or is it just a way of not hurting her feelings and avoid her. It was the lie he was telling Milah lately, that he was busy at work, when in reality he was spending his evenings with her. She stared at her phone as she tried to think of a way to answer him. She was torn between seeing him tonight and making him wait.

_I can’t tonight, I’ll get back to you on when I’ll be free._

She finished typing and hesitated on pressing on the send button. Finally gaining some courage, she did. He made her wait, an now it was his turn she thought. She tucked her phone back in her purse just in time, as Milah opened the heavy cream-colored curtain and stepped out, wearing one of the white gowns.

Emma’s mouth dropped open when she saw her friend in her dress. It was a strapless dress, and starting from the waist where these small white roses with small diamonds adorning the dress as went from her waist going around her back until it reached the bottom of the dress. Milah stepped on the small podium from where she could see herself on three different mirrors.

“So, what do you think?” She asked with a big smile as she checked herself on the mirror.

“Wow, I mean, you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress.” Emma told her as she approached her.

“I know, right? I’m really leaning towards this dress but I need you to look at the others to be sure.” She replied turning her head around so she could look at her. She climbed down and went back behind the curtains.

Emma went back to her seat and tried to fight the urge to see if he answered back. Feeling herself weaken, she pulled out her phone and saw three messages from him.

**_Are you mad at me?_ **

**_Emma, please, answer me…_ **

**_Emma???_ **

She felt her heart tighten when she saw his messages and inhaled shakily as she typed a new message.

_No, I’m just busy._

She pressed send and only took a second before he replied.

**_Are you sure?_ **

**_Okay… please call me when you get a chance, I miss you._ **

She suddenly felt like the air was too thick and had some trouble getting her breathing under control. It pained her so much to read his message, especially knowing he still hadn’t made his decision.

_I miss you, too._

As she finished writing her message ending their conversation there, Milah got out showing her another breathtaking dress. It went on like that for another hour, and they finally decided to go with the first dress. The brunette went to put on the wedding gown and went back on the podium as the tailor went to take her measurements and to make the adjustments necessary for her.

“So, Killian and I decided on a date for the wedding.” Milah said casually as she looked at Emma through the mirror.

The mention of his name combined with the word wedding made Emma want to flee. She tried to put on her best poker face and cleared her throat before speaking.

“Oh, so when is it going to be?” She asked reluctantly.

“August 26.” She answered with a big, excited smile.

“That’s so soon!” Emma blurted, outraged, which earned her a glare from her friend. “I mean, there’s still a lot to do in a month and a half. Are you sure you’re going to be able to pull this off?” She told Milah in attempt to redeem her previous comment by sounding concerned for her friend.

“I know, but Killian’s father has a lot of contacts that had agreed to help us for the wedding, so everything is pretty much set.” She answered proudly. “Mr. Gold is so happy that I’m marrying his son, that he offered us the crème de la crème. Best caterer, best venue, best band, best everything. I mean this is going to be one luxurious wedding.” She said enthusiastically as she looked herself in the mirror.

“Well, I’m happy for you guys.” The words came out strangled as Emma smiled at her friend, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was glad that Milah was too self-absorbed with herself and her wedding to notice the pain in her voice.

The rest of the conversation was a blur for Emma, as she felt herself drown in her sadness. The only thing she remembered was Milah repeating over and over about the bachelorette party on Saturday.

That night when Emma came back home, she opened a bottle of wine and drank herself to sleep.

-/-

Emma was getting herself ready for Milah’s bachelorette party. She had been dreading this night all week, especially knowing she would be going out with the shallow friends of the bride-to-be.

The party went down like she expected, girls being way too excited, whooping at any random comment about sex, and the worst was when they went to see some male strippers. Her friends had paid for Milah to go on stage for a number, which was absolutely ridiculous, although pretty funny.

It was a re-enactment of the famous scene of the movie _Ghost._ Milah was blindfolded as she sat on a stool, with a fake clay vase in front of her, the male stripper dancing around her. He grabbed another stool and sat behind her, exaggerating the movements Swayze did in the movie, as they pretended to be doing some pottery.

All of a sudden, he got up and grabbed the fake vase and pulled it out as it revealed a massive purple dildo. The crowd went wild at this moment, and the stripper took Milah’s hands and put them on the sex toy as he guided her. From afar, everyone could see the brunette blushing and she got redder when he took the blindfold off as he continued disrobing himself to the public.

When they left the strip club they all went back to the limo one of the girls had rented for Milah’s special night. They decided to drop off Emma first, since she complained about a fake headache so she could head back home.

When the limo stopped in front of her building, Emma said goodbye to the girls she couldn’t wait to leave. She got out of the limo, and without even noticing it, Milah had come out too, the limo leaving without her.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you staying in the limo?” Emma asked confused.

“I don’t want to, I was thinking we could do a slumber party just you and me, just like when we were kids. What do you say?” She asked Emma with such sincerity that it caught her off guard.

“Sure, I’d like that.”

They went back to her apartment, and Milah went to roam her fridge seeking some alcohol. Meanwhile Emma went to her dresser searching for pyjamas that she could lend to her friend.

Milah joined her into her bedroom with two glasses of white wine and gave Emma one as she sat on the bed. Emma started to take her dress off so she could put on her pyjamas. She was now only in her bra and panties when Milah gasped loudly, earning a bewildered look from Emma.

“Are those _sex bruises_?” The brunette asked as she crawled on her hands and knees across the bed and pointed to the small bruises that were on each side of Emma’s hips.

Emma felt herself blush, knowing who it was from and how she got them—on her bed, in the exact position her friend was currently in. She also felt guilty and didn’t know how to answer her. She started to stutter trying to find a reasonable answer, but the red on her cheeks confirmed Milah’s suspicious.

“Oh my _God_! Who is it from?” Milah blurted out, followed by another loud gasp. “Is it Graham? It is, isn’t it?” She asked excitedly.

“Yes.” Emma answered, not quite certain, but somewhat relieved.

“You have to tell me all about the sex! Is it good? I bet it is, I mean he’s gorgeous and sexy.” Milah asked in a hurry as she got carried away.

Emma kept dressing herself, and tried to think of a way to get out of this situation.

“I don’t really want to talk about it, okay? Not until I know what this is.” She lied, Milah pouting at her.

“Ugh, fine.” She finally said seeing that Emma wouldn’t say anything. The brunette got up and took the pyjamas and went in the bathroom.

When Milah disappeared in the other room, Emma let out a sigh of relief thinking she was almost caught. She then went to get her phone so she could charge it, and saw that she had a text message from Killian. She opened the message quickly so she could read it before her friend would come out of the restroom.

**_Can I see you tomorrow afternoon? Your place?_ **

Emma felt herself smile at his message, seeing that he was seeking her out. She typed her reply fast and sent it.

_Okay, I’ll text you when it’s safe to come, Milah is crashing at my place tonight._

She didn’t wait for his answer and turned off her phone just in case her friend decided to snoop around in her phone. She plugged in the charger and left it on her nightstand.

When Milah finally came out of the bathroom, they put on some music, songs they used to listen when they were teenagers. They reminisced on what they used to do on their slumber parties. At one point they turned up the music and performed the dance they had made up to one of those songs.

At the end of the night, they had finished the bottle of wine and they were both tucked in under the sheets of Emma’s bed with the lights off as they got prepared to sleep. They talked in the dark until they started laughing so much it hurt, and in the end not one of them could remember why. When the room went silent again, Emma thought that Milah had fallen asleep, until she broke the silence again.

“Sometimes I wonder if Killian really wants to get married.” She said, her voice small, a tone that Emma was not used to hearing. She felt herself worry.

“Why do you think that?” She asked, even though she knew the reason.

“I don’t know, ever since we got engaged he hasn’t been very present. He’s always working late and there’s always an excuse for him to not be at home.” Emma stayed silent as her friend talked and felt her face crack in pain, and was thankful that they were in the dark.

“The worst is, he hasn’t touched me ever since that night. It has been six weeks now. I sometimes wonder if he isn’t seeing another woman.”

Emma felt a tear run down her cheek, as she realised how much pain Milah must be in. She had only thought about herself until this point, her feelings towards Killian, how guilty she felt for betraying the friendship she had with the brunette. But tonight she remembered why they were friends at one point, and it hurt to know that she was the cause of Milah’s pain.

Milah didn’t seek an answer from her, she turned around and fell silent for the rest of the night. It took a while for Emma to fall asleep, as she cried silently for some time.

-/-

The next morning Emma woke and her bed was empty. She got up and saw Milah already in her dress of the night before as she grabbed her purse.

“Hey, you’re up! I really need to go, I have an appointment with the caterer in two hours and I want to get a shower and a change of clothes before I need to be there!” She walked over to Emma and hugged her tightly.

“Thanks for last night, I had a lot of fun.” She told her as she kissed her on the cheek and left.

Emma stood on her spot briefly, and decided to make some coffee and went to get a shower as it brewed. When she came out of the restroom feeling fresh and clean, and she went to turn on her phone and wrote a message to Killian, telling him that Milah had left her place.

She went to prepare her coffee and made herself some eggs. She ate her breakfast watching some TV, not really paying attention to what she was looking at. She kept thinking about what Milah said to her last night, and she was more convinced than ever that Killian needed to make a choice.

He arrived at her place an hour later, and when Emma opened the door she realised how much she had missed him during this week. Her stomach fluttered seeing how handsome he was looking with his jeans and black V-neck shirt.

Killian came in and hugged her as kissed her softly, mumbling on her lips how much he missed her. Emma let herself melt into his touch as she roamed her hands on his back.

Without noticing it, they were both laying on the couch as their kissing grew more and more passionate. She was the first to snap back to reality when he started to push up the hem of her shirt.

“Killian, stop,” She told him, pushing him lightly so she could sit. “We need to talk before we do anything else.”

He nodded and took big breath before speaking.

“You’re right. I have been thinking a lot this week, and you know I just can’t throw away five years with Milah away. And, well, when we see each other it’s always after work stealing some moments for us to be together, I think we should try us being together as a normal couple would.” He told her in an earnest tone of voice.

“Okay, what do you have in mind?” Emma asked, quite skeptical.

“Milah is leaving for a week in a couple of days to visit her parents. I was thinking I could stay here with you and see where this goes. What do you say, love?” He asked her nervously. She could see the worry in his eyes, worry that she would say no to him.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Killian grinned as he dropped his hands behind her neck, pulling her in for a kiss. Emma stopped him with a finger on his lips before they reached hers.

“After that week, you need to make a decision.”

“I will.” He promised her, as they finally gave in to each other as they moved on to her bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people! So this chapter is waaaay longer that the others, I usually don’t write long chapters (don’t know why) but there was a lot that needed to happen in this chapter. I know you won’t complain for the lenght though ;)
> 
> So up until now I have been following somewhat the same plot as in the movie but it was veeeery different. The ending of this chapters is not as in the movie AT ALL, and I have planned this part for quite some time now, so I’m really curious on what you thoughts on it will be.
> 
> Thanks to my beta Nicki- oncertwice for helping me with this story!
> 
> Read and enjoy

It was now the end of the week and Emma was really looking forward to the end of her workday.

The week was long and exhausting, every day there was a problem with something—whether it was employees coming in late, or a mix-up with the order she sent to her dairy distributor.

She also worked extra-hard to make sure everything would be alright for the weekend so she wouldn’t have to come back to fix things.

Killian didn’t come over most of the week. He was really busy with work since his father—or, rather, his stepfather—asked him to take on some extra responsibilities for him to eventually take over his business.

She couldn’t wait for Friday to arrive since it was the day that Killian was going come to her place and stay for the upcoming week while Milah was going to visit her parents.

Emma got out of work and arrived home with barely enough time to do any cleaning before there was a knock on her door. She went to open the door and found Killian on the other side, still on his work suit and holding his briefcase with an overnight bag resting on the floor next to his feet. He had already taken off his tie, and he looked absolutely exhausted.

He smiled at her tiredly and grabbed his things and entered her place, kissing her on the lips as he passed her. He dropped his bag on the bench near the door with his briefcase, taking off his shoes after.

“Do you want a beer?” Emma asked as she walked towards the kitchen.

“Please, I really need something to help wash down this day.” He replied, joining her in the kitchen as Emma opened the bottles. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying a soft kiss on her neck.

She hummed softly at his sweet show of affection and turned around so she could face him, joining her hands at the back of his neck and pulling him in for a chaste kiss.

“I missed you this week, I couldn’t wait to be here with you.” He told her in a soft voice, their foreheads resting on each other.

“Me, too.” She went in for another languid kiss before she pulled back her head so she could look at him.

“What do you want to do tonight?” Emma asked Killian as his hand went to grab a beer and hand it to her before taking the other one for himself. He took a sip of his drink as he thought about it.

“Well, I do know what I want to do _later_ tonight…” He started to say with a smirk which made her cheeks redden. “…but as for right now, I’m completely exhausted and if want to be able ravish you properly I think I’ll need to rest a little.”

Emma smiled at his comment as she brought her drink to her lips. She was tempted to have her wicked way with him, but if she was being honest, she was still very tired from her day, and his idea to just relax a little sounded nice.

“Sounds like a good plan. I’ll order some pizza you go pick a movie.” She ordered him as she went to grab her phone.

When she went to join him in her living room he was still browsing the shelf which contained her DVD’s. He picked one out and showed her the cover with an eyebrow raised.

“You had to go with that movie, didn’t you?” She asked as she laughed lightly.

“Well, it is the first movie we watched together on your computer in your dorm room. So, why not relive that moment with a better and bigger screen?”

She smiled at him and grabbed the disc he was handing her and inserted it in her DVD player. They settled themselves on the couch, her tucked under his arm as the movie started.

Half an hour passed and their food arrived, and she put the pizza box on the coffee table so they could eat while watching the TV. They ate half of the pizza and then cuddled on the couch as they kept watching their movie.

Emma had trouble keeping her eyes open near the end of the movie. She looked over to Killian, who had his head leaning against the back of the couch, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. A sleepy smile came across her face has she shook his chest lightly so he would wake up. When he did, he looked at her with confused and sleepy eyes.

“You fell asleep, let’s go to bed where we’ll be more comfortable.” She told him in a soft voice, and he nodded at her, his eyes still not fully open.

They turned off the TV and wobbled to her room where they both disrobed themselves. Killian got under the covers wearing only his boxer briefs and Emma decided to stay in her panties, trading her bra for white tank top and went to join him in her bed. He spooned her and they quickly fell asleep, both exhausted from their week.

Emma slept all through the night and when she woke, she felt blinded by the brightness seeping through her curtains. When she managed to open her eyes, she was face-to-face with Killian, who was lying on his side as he looked at her with a small smile.

“Good morning, love.” He told her, his voice husky. “Sleep well?”

Emma shifted onto her side so she could have a better look at him and brought the covers up to hide her mouth.

“I did, how about you?” She asked him, the sound of her voice muffled by the sheets. He took his side of the sheet and covered his mouth the same way she did.

“Why are you talking like this?” He mocked her.

“Morning breath.” She answered simply and he let a throaty chuckle as he released his grasp on the sheet and snaked his arm around her, pulling her close to him, the action making Emma yelp in surprise. He tugged her sheet down so he could press a kiss to her lips, but she was fast enough to replace the fabric with her hand and shook her head.

“Let me brush my teeth first.” She pleaded while Killian’s arm kept her firmly pressed against him as his other hand went to her hand on her mouth pulled it down.

“I don’t mind,” he whispered over her lips before he finally kissed her.

It started off slow and soft, but when she felt him through his boxer briefs, she felt a rush of heat pool between her legs. Her hand traveled down between them until she reached what she wanted and cupped him firmly, making his hips jump at the contact. Their actions quickly became desperate as they both wanted to feel each other and the few items of clothes they had on were quickly ripped off.

Emma’s hands went to his shoulders and pushed him so he was lying on his back as she straddled him, her hand guiding him to her entrance as she sank down on him. She swayed her hips, starting slow, her way of teasing him before picking up the pace, wanting to feel him. She kept up that rhythm until they both came undone.

She slumped on the bed next to him, his arms taking her by the waist pressing her to his chest as they both regained their breaths, their chest heaving heavily. He kissed her on her forehead as his hand was caressed her arm.

“What do you want to do today?” Emma asked, still hazed from their recent activities.

“I don’t care what we do, as long as you’re with me.”

She lifted and twisted her upper body up so she could look at him. He was looking at her with such a loving and caring gaze that she felt her heart warm up just at looking at him. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly, which eventually led them to another coupling.

After their second time they finally decided to get out of bed and went to shower, taking a little more time than expected.

When they were finally dressed and ready to go, they still hadn’t decided on what to do with the day. They were both famished and Emma proposed that they could stop at her diner, get some pastries and things to eat with some coffee, and then they could find themselves a nice little corner at the park to eat their breakfast.

Emma made a quick stop, not wanting to get herself caught up with what was happening in the diner. Killian stood in a corner, not wanting to bother her employees. She saw Ruby looking at him with interest before coming up to her with an intrigued look.

“So, what’s the deal with him?” She asked with a smirk as Emma was bent down, picking up some pastries from the food display.

“He’s a friend.” Emma answered evasively as she got up, turning around and walking towards the espresso machine so she could make their coffees, Ruby following her.

“I don’t believe you. I mean, I remember he came a couple of weeks back and you two were sitting there talking and suddenly you left to go in your office and he followed you. And I’m sensing there wasn’t any talking going on in that small office of yours.” She told her boss with a proud smile. Emma felt herself blush at her comment, thinking back to that particular day where she told him she was willing to give them a try.

“Look, it’s none of your business, okay?” She responded dryly as she finished making their coffees. She securely placed the plastic lids on the cups and tucked the brown bag with the pastries under her arm and grabbed the beverages.

“I’m leaving, see you on Monday.” Emma said simply before joining Killian and handing him his drink.

They left for the park and found themselves a bench to sit on and eat their food and watched the people pass by them. When they finished, they decided to stroll through the park.

Emma had an urge to take his hand in hers and walk around with him as if they were lovers. She was about to reach out for his hand but stopped midway, feeling herself get nervous and worry. Killian looked at her, sensing the change in her mood.

“What is it, love?” He asked in a sweet and concerned voice.

“Nothing.” Emma answered as she shook her head, dismissing the feelings that were eating away at her.

Killian stopped walking, taking her wrist in his hand so she would turn around. “Emma, did you forget that I know you? There’s something bothering you, tell me.”

She looked up at him and shifted nervously on her feet before answering. “Look, I’m happy we are having this week for ourselves, and don’t get me wrong, this morning it started _pretty_ well.” She paused seeing the cocky grin spreading on his face. “But, this isn’t real. I want to be able to hold your hand, kiss you in public, and hold you whenever I want, but I can’t, because somebody could see us. It just sucks! This was supposed to be a week about just us and it’s only the first day and I’m already reminded that this isn’t what it seems—that I’m still your dirty little secret.”

Killian’s face faltered and she could tell he was feeling bad about the whole situation. “Emma, I’m sorry for putting you through all of this, and I know it’s mostly my fault. But don’t think you’re the only on hurting, here. I am, too. It kills me that I can’t just take you into my arms and kiss you senseless.” He told her.

“Then choose me!” She pleaded and cursed herself for sounding desperate, but she was. She couldn’t handle this situation anymore.

“I wish it was that easy, love.” He answered her with a pained look. He took a step forward and took one of her hands in his and parted his lips to say something but was interrupted by someone calling his name, his eyes opened wide as he recognised the voice. He turned around to find the source of the voice and let go of Emma’s hand.

“Mum!” He exclaimed when he saw his mother and stepfather approach them. He walked towards them as Emma followed him shyly.

He hugged his mother while his stepfather, Mr. Gold, was standing stoically next to his wife as he leaned on his cane. When he left his mother’s arms, he turned to his stepfather and greeted him with a simple ‘Sir’ as he shook his hand.

“Emma! How nice to see you!” Exclaimed Killian’s mother as she leaned in for a hug.

“Hello, Mary, it has been a long time.” She greeted the woman shyly.

“I think the last time I saw you was a little after your graduation.”

“Yeah, something like that.” She answered uncomfortably as she felt Mr. Gold coming next to his wife as he looked at her.

“Ms. Swan.” He greeted her simply, which made Emma quite ill at ease as she nodded. She never quite liked him and never understood what a soft and sweet woman like Mary could see in this man.

“So, where’s Milah?” Asked Mary.

“Uh, well, she went to visit her family for the week.” Killian answered as he scratched his ear.

“That’s nice! So, you two are just catching up?” They both nodded in response to her question.

“What brings you two here to the middle of the park?” He asked his parents.

“Oh well, we went to have some brunch and we decided that a walk in the park would be nice.” She said in a joyful tone. “Do you two want to join us?”

Emma and Killian looked at each other, wanting to know how the other felt like in this situation and decided to go with them.

They all started to walk together and slowly drifted apart into two separate groups, Killian with his stepfather, and Emma with his mother.

Mary only talked about the upcoming wedding and how happy she was that her only son was finally getting married to a lovely girl. Emma found herself smiling forcedly throughout their conversation and faking excitement. She couldn’t wait for this walk to end, and turned around to look at Killian so she could seek a way out of it.

When she saw his face, she automatically knew that he wasn’t enjoying the walk either. His brows were furrowed, his jaw was clenched and she could see that he was taking deep breaths to keep his anger under control as he listened to whatever Mr. Gold was telling him.

A couple of minutes later, Killian found an excuse for them to leave, probably because he couldn’t stand to talk to his stepfather any longer. The walk back to her place was silent until they reached her door. They went in and he automatically went for the fridge and took out a beer and opened the bottle so he could take a huge sip of it.

Emma walked over him and wrapped her arms around his waist as she hugged him from behind, her head resting on his shoulder blades. She knew he was upset with Gold, since every time he talked to him he ended up in this state. He always had this pressure coming from him, since he wanted Killian to take over his company eventually, since he wanted to keep it in the family, even though he isn’t his biological son.

Mr. Gold always reminded Killian of everything he did for his mother and for him, paying for his education and making sure he had a roof over his head. Killian never let out his anger towards him knowing, it would hurt his mother, and he doesn’t want to be responsible for making her miserable.

He let out shaky sigh before turning around and hugging her back. He rested his chin on the top of her head as she nuzzled into his chest. They stayed in that position for a while before Emma leaned her head back so she could look at him.

“Want to stay in tonight?” She asked him softly as he nodded with small smile. She returned his smile as she kissed him chastely on his lips.

They untangled themselves and slowly started to roam her pantry and fridge so they could agree on what they could make. They agreed on making a watermelon salad with feta cheese, red onions, cucumber and tomatoes since it was too hot outside to actually cook anything. Killian offered to buy the missing ingredients quickly at the market around the corner while Emma started to prepare the salad.

He came back twenty minutes later with the watermelon, the cheese and a bottle of white wine. He poured them a glass and started cutting the fruit. When they finished preparing all the ingredients they dropped them in a bowl so they could mix them together while she poured the salad dressing.

He took two plates out of her cupboard so she could serve the salad. They took their glass of wine and plate and went to sit on her little balcony that had enough space for two chairs.

Over the course of their diner, Killian’s good mood came back and they started to fool around as they usually did, teasing each other. She almost choked on a piece of food a couple of times, since he made her laugh so much.

When they finished eating, they went back inside and put their plates in the sink and refilled their glasses before going to sit back down on the couch. Emma went to dim the lights before joining him. They sat close to each other as they kept talking casually before going silent and enjoying their closeness as they cuddled.

In that moment she forgot about everything around her, their situation and everything that came with it. She felt herself be happy and content for the first time in a very long time and wished it would never end. She still couldn’t believe that he was here with her; sometimes she couldn’t believe that Killian Jones could really want her then or even now.

Without even thinking it, she asked him, “Did you like me back then?” The words came out as she leaned her head back so she could look at him properly.

He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. “I did.”

Emma looked at him with a look that was a mix of disbelief and hope. “Really?”

He looked at her and nodded his head.

“When?” The curiosity of the situation was too much and she couldn’t stop the question from slipping.

“Since the first time I saw you in class with those adorable glasses you wore. You looked like such an adorable dork, with all of those pencils you had and the panic that was written on your face when they fell made you seem so endearing. I don’t know why. And, well, we started to hang out and I quickly knew that besides being beautiful, you were amazing.”

Emma felt herself blush at his confession as reminisced on their first meeting.

“Why didn’t you do anything about it?”

“I did, actually. After our finals I invited you out for a drink as my way of asking you out on a date. I was convinced you felt the same way about me throughout the evening and I remember hoping to kiss you that night. We both know how it really ended.” He told her with sadness in his voice.

She felt butterflies flying around in her stomach hearing how he really felt about her when they met. She also cursed herself for her lack of courage back then to tell him how she really felt that night when he asked her if it bothered her that Milah intruded on their date. She cursed herself for being to kind, knowing that if she could have stood up to her friend, she wouldn’t have wasted all these years.

Well, those times were over, she thought, it was now time for her to take what she wanted.

Emma leaned in and kissed him softly, pouring out all of the emotions that she had been feeling through all this time. She still wasn’t able to tell him how she felt—that she loved him, that she had always loved him—knowing that she was better at expressing her feelings with actions instead of words.

Killian responded to her kiss, and kissed her back sensually as he took his time exploring her mouth, his hand cradling the back of her neck. She moved from her position and parted her legs on each side of his thighs.

They took their time, her hands slowly roaming down until she reached the hem of his shirt. She was about to pull it up when he stopped her. She looked at him with confusion in her eyes.

“Not now.” He answered softly on her lips as he kissed her. “Let’s go to the bed first.”

She nodded slowly and got up from his lap, waiting for him to stand and followed him to her bedroom.

When they arrived in her room, he told her to lie down on the bed and she did. He crawled over her, parting her legs with his knees as he settled between them, his hands caressing one of her thighs and he used the other to hold his weight as he continued to kiss her sensually. He took each piece of her clothing off one by one, exploring every inch of skin that was hidden beneath each piece of fabric.

When she was bare to him, he leaned back, sitting on his knees between her parted legs, one hand on her thigh while the other went to part her folds, slowly damping his fingers with her arousal. She gasped at his touch, her back arching off the mattress.

“Beautiful.” He told her, his voice thick with desire.

He leaned in between her legs, his lips ghosting over her center as he felt the heat radiating from her onto his mouth. He kissed her slit softly before darting out his tongue to taste her. He lapped at her folds slowly, tasting her, drinking her in as he listened to every strangled moan and cry that left her mouth. He added his thumb to his ministrations as he rubbed small circles on her bundle of nerves.

Emma felt her body heat up to his touch, her release pending. With one more lick of his tongue she came undone as she writhed under his body. She opened her eyes and saw him taking off his shirt and throwing it off on the other side of the room. She sat up on her bed and rested her hands on his chest.

“My turn.” She told him and he complied as they switched places, Killian now on his back.

She pressed her lips into his before she trailed them down to his jaw and neck, her hands roaming over his chest, wanting to feel every inch of his hot skin. She left a trail of wet kisses across his chest, her hands trying to free him from his pants. She took them off with his boxer briefs, his cock jutting out and resting on his stomach as she tossed his pants toward the bottom of her bed.

She licked her lips as she leaned in, taking him in her hand stroking him in a slow pace making his hips jerk at the contact. She kissed the tip of the head and swirled her tongue around it before taking him into her mouth. She bobbed her head up and down, her hand still stroking him slowly, wanting to show him how much she cared about him and wanted to make him feel good. Her hand went to cup his balls as she started to take him deeper in her mouth but she was stopped by him, barely able to say her name.

She lifted her head and looked at him as she continued to touch him.

“I want to be inside you.” He simply stated as he sat up and took her by the hips, turning her around so she could lie on her back once again.

He settled himself between her legs and pushed the tip of his shaft slowly into her throbbing heat. They moaned silently as he pushed himself into her, relishing in the sensation and emotions the other brought to them. He dropped his weight on his forearms, his forehead pressed to hers as he started to move, each savouring the other’s lips.

They build their release slowly as they both tried to pour every emotion into their coupling. Emma felt her walls flutter when he changed the angle of his thrusts, making her moan loudly. Killian groaned in response to her and picked up the pace, feeling she was close and wanting her to come first. She gripped his shoulder blades, nails digging into his skin when her orgasm crashed over her as she chanted his name over and over.

Killian started to chase his release as he kissed her fervently mumbling words into her lips. Emma didn’t understand what he was saying at first, since she was still recovering from her climax. When she regained some of her senses she heard him say her name followed with three words that made her heart full.

“Emma… Emma… I love you.” He whispered in her ear as he finally tumbled over the edge. He thrust into her a couple times more before stilling above her, his forehead pressed on hers.

She still wasn’t sure if she’d heard right as she stroked his back. He finally leaned his head back so he could lock his eyes on hers and she was overwhelmed by the sincerity that was emanating from his gaze.

“I love you.”

She was left mouth-agape with his confession and wanted to tell him how much she loved him but the words got stuck in her throat. She contented herself by kissing him, hoping he would understand that she felt it, too.

They enjoyed the afterglow of their coupling for some time before they fell asleep.

Emma woke up the next morning with an empty space beside her. She sat up in her bed and looked around her room searching for a sign of him. She heard a noise come out from the kitchen and decided to see what he was up to. She grabbed a pair of clean panties from her drawer and put on the shirt Killian had been wearing the night before, wanting to bathe in his scent.

She walked out of her room and saw him standing in front of her oven in his black boxer briefs as he made her some pancakes. She went to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso, feeling his chest hair under her hands as she kissed his bare back.

“Good morning, love.” He greeted her as he turned over the chocolate chip pancake.

“Mmm… good morning indeed.” She answered him, as she smelled what he was cooking.

“Made some coffee if you want some.”

“Thanks. Do you want some?” She asked him as she went to pour herself a cup.

“Sure.” He answered her with a smile.

“To what do I owe the honour of you making me my favourite breakfast?” She asked him as she went to sit on one of the stools she had, and deposited her mug on the kitchen island.

“Do I need a reason to make you breakfast?” He asked her as he turned his head over his shoulder, eyebrow raised. She smiled at him and shook her head.

“I could get used to you making me breakfast in those tight boxers of yours. I’m really enjoying the view.” She teased him.

“Be careful what you wish for, love.” He quipped back with a low laugh.

The morning went on like that, teasing, flirting, and enjoying each other as they moved from the kitchen to the bedroom. They were having a great time—that is until his phone beeped.

He got out of the bed and reached for his phone, which was still in his pants that he wore the day before. He looked at his message and she saw him tense up and turn to look at her with an apologetic look.

“What is it?” She asked reluctantly.

“It’s Milah.” His answered, voice barely above a whisper.

Her heart sank at the mention of that name and she dreaded hearing the rest. “What about her?”

“She got into a fight with her mother, she’s coming back. And she’ll be here in an hour.”

“Let me guess: you have to go?” She couldn’t help but sound angry, because she was.

“Emma, don’t be like that.” He told her, clearly hurt by her tone.

She was tired of being the understanding one, tired of letting herself get walked all over. She got up from the bed and fetched her robe as he got up and walked towards her. She raised her hand, stopping him before he could reach her.

“Look, it’s fine.” She told him dryly.

“No, it isn’t.”                                                                 

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Emma yelled, completely exhausted by this situation. “That it hurts like hell every time you leave? That it feels like you’re ripping my heart out every time you go back to her? I can’t do this anymore, Killian. I can’t.” Before she could stop it, tears were running down her cheeks.

“Emma—” He started as he took a couple of steps towards her, but she cut off him before he could say anything else.

“Just go.” She told him before walking past him, heading towards the bathroom and barricading herself inside. She didn’t know how long she was in there, crying every tear she had in her before coming out.

When she did, all of his things were gone.

-/-

Monday morning at work was excruciatingly painful.

Emma didn’t get much sleep, as she kept thinking about how she snapped at Killian before he left, and felt guilty for it. She knew that at some point it would come out, but now that it did she wished it hadn’t.

She also couldn’t stop thinking about their weekend, and what he told her, those three little words that held so much power and emotion when he said it to her. He hadn’t commented on it the next day so she wondered if it was in the spur of the moment he had said them, not really meaning it.

Emma was in her office, phone in her hand, wondering if she should text him, tell him she was sorry and ask him if he could come over tonight. She cursed herself for being so weak and decided to put her phone away when there was a knock on her door.

“Yes?” She groaned as the door opened, Ruby appearing behind it.

“Sorry I know you didn’t want to be bothered, but there a man here who’s insisting on speaking with you.” She said nervously.

“Who is it?” Emma asked intrigued.

“He said his name is Mr. Gold.” At the mention of his name, her eyes shot wide open, her eyebrows reaching her hairline. She got up and followed Ruby back toward the dinner, where she saw Gold sitting at a table in the far corner with a cup of tea in front of him.

Emma walked towards him and sat on the chair next to him. “Mr. Gold, to what do I owe the honour of your presence?” She asked him as politely as she could.

“Ms. Swan,” he greeted her simply, “I have come here because I wanted to make a transaction of sorts with you.”

“Okay.” She answered suspiciously. “Are you interested in having your share in the diner’s profits?”

“Not really. I’m more interested in Killian’s future, not yours.” He told her bluntly, the words taking her by surprise.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to put an end to the affair you two are barely hiding.”

“Why would I do that?”

“How can I put this? You are an orphan girl without any real status. If I want Killian to take over my empire I need him to marry someone more like Milah: a young women whose name comes from a wealthy family that won’t tarnish the image of the company. I can’t have him leave her since she’s the one he should marry and I don’t want him to have a whore on the side.” He explained, his tone never faltering, always keeping that cold edge.

Emma felt insulted by his words and decided to fight back. “Why should I listen or do whatever you say?”

“Because, dearie, if you don’t, I could bring your business down like that.” He told her as he snapped his fingers.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I? You have no idea what I would do.” He got up with the help of his cane and walked over to her, stopping at her side and leaning in as he whispered in her ear, “A word of advice: don’t test me. You have until the end of the week.”

With that, he left her restaurant as she watched him go, still frozen on her seat.

-/-

Four days went by since Mr. Gold’s visit to her dinner, and Emma still didn’t know what to do.

She didn’t want to bend to his demand but at the same time she knew what he was capable of, the connections he had and how ready he was to pull those strings. Killian had told her many stories about his stepfather being ruthless when something didn’t go as he wanted.

Emma felt selfish when she thought about doing what he asked her, choosing her business instead of love, but at the same time she didn’t know where she stood with Killian. She hadn’t heard from him since he left her apartment on Sunday.

At the same time, her business was her dream. It gave her life, her income, and the incomes of all of her employees. Without it she wouldn’t able to pay her rent, food and her debts. She had to think about her employees too, she knew that for some of them it was the only source of revenue.

She felt torn by this dilemma, even though she knew what she had to do.

Emma was pouring herself a glass of wine when she heard a knock on her door. She placed the bottle on her kitchen counter and went to open the door. She felt her heart jump when she saw Killian smiling at her and taking a few steps so he could come in, but she stopped him before he could do anything else.

“What are you doing here?” She asked him coldly, the only way she knew she was going to be able to get through this nightmare.

“I came to see you, I wanted to tell you something.” He told her huge grin on his face, which made her heart ache, knowing what she needed to say.

“You should’ve called first, Ki—”

“I choose you, Emma. I don’t know what took me so long or why I made you suffer through all of this, but I choose you. It was always you. I love you.” He told her, his voice shaking as he poured his heart out. He leaned in for a kiss but she stopped him before he could and felt tears falling down her cheeks.

“No, you don’t. You can’t love me, Killian. Go back to Milah.” She told him, looking down, not brave enough to look at him in the eyes.

“What are you saying?” He asked her, his hand going for her chin and lifting her head up, her eyes still looking down. “Look at me.”

She raised her eyes to his and felt her heart breaking into pieces seeing how hurt and confused he was by her words.

“I’m saying it’s over, Killian. Forget about us and go back to Milah.”

“No, I can’t. I love you—I want _you,_ not her. And I know you love me, too.”

“No, I don’t. Now please go.” She pleaded as she felt her voice crack, tears blurring her vision. She pushed him back into the hall as he tried contest her words.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Goodbye, Killian.” She closed and locked the door before she leaned her back on it and slid down to the floor as she started to cry over her stupid decision.


	9. Chapter 9

In the days that followed, Emma felt lifeless.

She went on about her life in automatic mode, getting up for work without any motivation, only actually going because she knew she needed the money. Hell, it was the reason why she gave up on _him_.

She tried the best she could not to think of what happened but it was useless since it was the source of her misery. Emma kept making mistakes at work, small mistakes, since her head was just not in it. Ruby had noticed that something was off with her boss and tried her best not to meddle in Emma’s life, knowing that it would just push her to close herself off even more.

Emma had also noticed the worrying looks her employees were casting her, especially Ruby and Mary Margaret, but she ignored them, thinking she didn’t need something else to worry about.

She was grateful that in the days that followed her break-up with Killian, David couldn’t come to her diner to eat lunch since he was caught up at work with a big project. Despite the fact that she would have welcomed someone to distract from what was troubling her, she also knew that he would have known right off the bat that something wasn’t right with her.

So, instead of eating her lunch in the diner, she went and secluded herself in her small office, thinking that she would be in peace. How wrong she was of thinking that. Emma heard a knock on her door, and sighed heavily at the sound and opened the door to find Mary Margaret shifting nervously.

“What is it?” Emma’s voice came out a little bit harsher than intended.

“Um, there’s someone who would like to see you.” Her soft, soothing voice informed Emma.

“Look, just tell them I’m busy. I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone.”

She was closing the door when her employee interjected. “He said you would say that, and asked me to tell you that if you did that he would come back here and knock on your door himself.” The brunette blurted out, slightly afraid of how this would turn out.

Emma froze on her spot. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know his name, but you came with him last weekend to get some pastries and coffee.”

Emma gulped hard when she realised Mary Margaret was talking about Killian, and also the fact that he was standing in her diner right now, probably furious and waiting for some sort of explanation.

“Fine. I’ll be there in a minute.” She closed the door, and took a deep breath trying to calm herself down, dreading the conversation that was awaiting her. She felt her heartbeat picking up its pace and felt that her hands were sweaty. She opened the door and walked into the diner, not knowing what to expect.

She found Killian pacing around the counter with his hands on his pockets and his head down. When she opened the door, he must have heard her because he lifted his head the second it opened.

Her heart tightened in her chest when she saw the way he looked. Killian was wearing his usual work suit, looking dashing as always, but what pained her was the look on his face. The dark circles under his eyes showed her that he hadn’t slept well in the last couple of days either, and his blue eyes, which usually sparkled with emotion, were now sad and pained.

She hesitated before walking up to him, and avoided his gaze as much as possible as she couldn’t stomach the way he looked, knowing she was responsible for it. He met her halfway, and they both faced each other uncomfortably.

“Look, Killian, I don’t have all day so you wanted to talk to me, then talk.” Emma told him trying to sound cold and distant even though she didn’t want to.

He clenched his jaw, licking his lips in the process before speaking. “Do you think we can speak somewhere more private?”

“No. Like I said, I’m busy; say what you need to say and leave.” Hearing her words, she saw how much it hurt him as well as her.

“Fine.” He sighed, exhausted, stepping forward as he invaded Emma’s personal space. “I want to know why.”

She should have known that he was going to ask her that, but she still felt surprised by his question, not knowing what to answer him. Seeing that she wasn’t answering, he took a step forward and took her hand in his. She looked at him, scared and confused, trying to control the trembling of her bottom lip.

“Emma…” He started, dropping his voice low so only she could hear him. “I know you still want me.” His hand went up and started caressing her forearm, his face now near hers that his nose brushed her cheek. She felt her eyes flutter at the sound of his voice, his breath on her, and his touch.

She snapped her eyes open when he kissed her softly on the cheek and dragged her hands up to his chest and pushed him away.

“No. You’re wrong. I don’t want to be with you anymore, you need to accept that.” She took a couple of steps backward, needed to put some distance between them; his presence was intoxicating her.

She tried avoiding his eyes, knowing that he was hurt. Emma felt him shift and she raised her eyes to look at him. He was shaking his head slightly in complete disbelief, his tongue pressing the inside of his cheek.

“I can’t accept this because I know it isn’t true. Emma, I love you, and I know that deep down you love me t—”

“No, I don’t. Now I need to go back to work.” Her voice came out harsh and cold as she turned around so she could go back to her office as quickly as possible.

When she finally got into her office, she locked the door and slumped on her chair and cried until she felt numb.

-/-

The rest of the week went by with no further incidents and Emma tried her best to look in shape. _That day_ was the only time she let people see her crack and never again would they see her in that state.

She kept a smile on her face, even though it was a fake one, and went on about her usual routine. She was convinced that this way, Ruby and Mary Margaret will stop looking at her with worried looks, since the last thing she needed was for her employees to be concerned for her well being.

Near the end of the week, Emma was doing some laundry in her apartment after her day’s work, when there was a knock on the door. She let go of the handful of dirty clothes she was holding and walked towards the door, dreading who might be on the other side of it.

She looked through the peephole and was relieved when she saw that David was standing behind the door. Emma unlocked the chain keeping her door secure and opened the door to David.

“Hey, Emma.” He took a couple of steps forward leaning in for a hug and then walk in her apartment as she closed the door.

“David, what brings you here.” She asked him, following him into her living room.

“I wanted to see how you were doing since I haven’t had the chance to see you at all this week.” David sat down on her couch, looking at her with a warm smile. Emma eyed him, knowing that there was something else.

“Why are you really here?”

“Like I told you, I wanted to know how you were doing.” She still wasn’t convinced with his answer and walked over him and sat down next to his seat. She searched his eyes, wanting to see if it was the truth.

“I don’t believe you. If you really wanted to know how I was you would’ve just texted me or called me. Why are you here?” Emma asked him again and he sighed, knowing he was caught.

“I saw Mary Margaret earlier and she’s worried about you.”

“Wait, you were with Mary Margaret? Are you seeing one of my employees?”

David’s cheeks reddened at her question, but it was quickly followed by serious look. “Don’t change the subject, Emma. Are you okay?”

She shifted a little on her seat and pushed back a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, everything is good.”

“You know you’re not the only who can detect a lie. Don’t forget that I know you too well.” She looked at her friend with a small smile before turning her gaze to her hands that laid on her knees.

“Did Killian do something? Do you need me to go punch him?”

Emma chuckled at her friend’s protective side; always ready to defend when someone harmed her in any way, even when they were kids.

She shook her head in silence as a response to his question.

“He chose Milah, didn’t he?”

Emma remained silent, not knowing if she was capable of having this conversation with David. She felt him move closer to her, taking her small hands in his.

“Emma?” His voice sounded concerned and she decided to lift her eyes up to meet his. She felt tears threatening to burst and gulped before answering him.

“He chose me.” She managed to say with a nervous smile, the tremble in her voice betraying the good news.

David’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand why she was so upset when this was supposed to be a good news.

“That’s good news, right? That’s what you wanted.”

Emma couldn’t hold the tears back anymore and let them slip down her cheeks upon hearing David’s words. He shifted closer and wrapped an arm around her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had to end things with him.” She managed to say through her sobs.

“Why? I thought you liked him?”

“I do, but I had no choice.” Emma was struggling between keeping her encounter with Mr. Gold a secret and telling David what happened. She couldn’t keep that bottled up inside any longer since this situation was eating away at her.

“What are you not telling me?”

She looked up at him afraid of what he’d think of her if she told him the predicament she was in. “If I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone about it.” She warned him as she turned so she could face him.

“I promise.” He told her as he squeezed her hand, encouraging her to spill whatever was tormenting her. She wiped the tears with the back of her hand and inhaled deeply to help her gain the courage to tell him what happened.

“So, two weeks ago, Killian came by to spend the weekend since Milah was out of town. And we wanted to do what couples do, so we went for a walk at the park and bumped into his mom and stepfather. The following Monday, his stepfather came to pay me a visit a the diner.” She paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

“He told me he knew about our affair, and he told me to end things with Killian.”

“ _WHAT_? You can’t be serious? Why would he want that?” David asked, outraged.

“He told me he needed Killian to take charge of his company eventually and he didn’t want someone like me to tarnish the reputation of his company.” It made her stomach twist in pain remembering what that man had told her, reminding her of the insecurities she had felt for a long time in her life—that she wasn’t good enough.

“I hope you told him to fuck off.” David said as his face contorted in anger.

“I wanted to, but before I could say anything else he blackmailed me. He told me that if I didn’t end things with Killian, he would shut down my business.”

As soon as she finished telling him what had happened with Mr. Gold, David got up and started to pace around in her living room, his hands closed into fists, trying to control his outrage.

“You did what he asked, didn’t you? That’s why you ended things with Killian.” He said, talking more to himself than to Emma as he tried to assimilate what she’d just told him.

Emma buried her head in her hands, as she felt tears burning her eyes.

“This is such a mess.” She mumbled into her hands, and David turned his attention back to her and kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in one of his, the other cupping her face.

“We will find a way for you to get him back.” He reassured her, which made Emma smile, amazed by his optimism, which she lacked.

“Everybody has little secrets hidden, even a man like Gold. I know someone who can dig up some dirt on him.”

Emma sighed, exhausted by all of this, her emotions, Killian, Gold, this goddamn situation. “Thanks, David, but, this isn’t necessary okay? What is done is done, it’s hopeless. I just need to move on from all of this mess.” She told him, defeated.

“You can’t think like that, Emma. There is always hope, and we’ll find a way for you to have the happy ending you deserve.” He spoke with such conviction that it actually made Emma hope that things might end well.

She went to bed that night alleviated, feeling the burden of this secret lifted off her shoulders now that she had talked with David. She felt grateful to have him in her life, and that he was ready to do anything for herself and for her happiness. For the first time since Killian left her apartment that weekend, she slept all through the night, thinking that everything would be all right.

However, that feeling didn’t last long when one day after work she came back to her apartment and picked up the mail. She skimmed through all of the junk mail until she stumbled on a white envelope with her name and address handwritten in familiar penmanship.

She sat on the couch, bracing herself for what the letter contained. She took a deep breath as she tore the envelope open.

With a trembling hand, she took out the shell-coloured piece of paper and read the words printed on its surface.

_Milah Richards_

_And_

_Killian Jones_

_Request the honour of your presence at their marriage_

_On Saturday, August Twenty-sixth, Two thousand fourteen_

_At Eight o’clock_ _at the Plaza Hotel and Country Club,_

_1465 Hutchison Street._

 

Her jaw dropped upon reading the invitation as a pain in her chest made it hard for her to breath. _He’s still getting married_ , was the only thought that kept invading her mind as she dropped the piece of paper to the floor, tears running down her cheekbones.

Suddenly, all hope she had gained over the past couple of days had vanished.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma couldn’t stop pacing around her apartment as she waited for David to come and pick her up. All week, she had been thinking of tonight, and every time she did, it made her sick to her stomach. It was Killian’s birthday, and Milah decided to organize a party at their house.

It was the last place Emma wanted to be right now for obvious reasons, especially now that she found out that despite his declarations, Killian was still marrying Milah. She had thought about it all throughout the week – different kinds of excuses for her not to go, but, as Ruby told her, sooner or later she would have to deal with them, and was sooner was better than later.

Ruby and Mary Margaret had been amazing through Emma’s mood swings at work. After she told David everything that had occurred with Killian, she decided to share the situation with both girls, and she was now glad she did, since she had the moral support that she so desperately needed. When Milah called her at work to invite her at the party, she went livid and she was grateful that she had the two of them to whom she could vent after the call.

She finally decided to go to the party and Ruby agreed to come with her. David was also invited and he decided to bring Mary Margaret, since, apparently, they had started seeing each other. Emma spent the week reassuring herself it would go fine, since she had people who knew her current predicament and would be able to support her throughout the evening.

The party hadn’t even started, she wasn’t even there yet, but she was already driving herself crazy. Emma spent an hour picking out what to wear, not knowing how to dress anymore in Killian’s presence, which was stupid. She had finally settled on a sundress, since it was a pretty warm and humid day, and a pair of flats, with her hair braided on the side.

Looking at the clock, she wondered if she had time to change her clothes again, since her insecurities about the outfit resurfaced when her phone rang. She picked it up and slid her finger on the green bar at the bottom of her touch screen.

“Hello?”

“Emma, it’s me, David. We’re waiting for you in the cab,” he said.

Emma grabbed her purse and the bag which contained the present she got for Killian. She decided to get him a little something, not wanting to be rude in front of a big crowd. She actually liked giving him presents for his birthday, she still did and wanted to, but with the current events, she didn’t want to buy something too meaningful, not wanting him to get any ideas.

Finally downstairs, she headed towards the yellow car, opening the door and sitting down in the already-crowded backseat where Ruby and Mary Margaret were sitting. They all greeted each other, and Emma gave the driver the address to Killian and Milah’s place.

They started the ride exchanging pleasantries, but the subject quickly changed to Emma.

“So, how are you feeling?” Mary Margaret asked from the other end of the seat, upper body leaning forward so she could look at Emma.

“Nervous as hell.” Emma responded to the short-haired brunette.

“We are all here for you. So the second you want to leave, you tell us and we’ll leave.”

Emma smiled at Mary Margaret upon hearing her reassuring words. She felt less worried, but the turmoil in her stomach never left, and she didn’t think it would leave until she was out of there.

For the rest of the ride, Ruby held Emma’s hand and squeezed it. Emma felt overwhelmed by the support of her friends, and was grateful for what they were doing for her.

A couple of minutes later, the cab stopped in front of Killian’s house, and Emma froze in her seat while David paid the driver. Ruby shook her shoulder, which pulled her out of her thoughts. She inhaled deeply, gathering all the courage she needed to face the couple.

They followed the path that led them to the entrance of the house, walking on wobbly legs. David rang the bell and the four of them waited for either Milah or Killian to open the door. The door swung open as they were greeted by the bride-to-be.

“Hey guys! I’m glad you could make it! Come in!” She yelped as she pulled them inside.

The second Emma walked in, Milah pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so happy you’re here! It feels like we haven’t see each other in forever!”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Emma responded with a dry chuckle as her friend dragged her into the living room where the heart of the party was.

Entering the room, she couldn’t help but scan the room in search of him. She saw him at the other end of the room, his back to her as he was talking to his friends. He turned around when Milah called him over, and when his eyes landed on her, Emma felt her eyes tighten and saw all the emotion coursing through him as she locked her gaze with his.

Killian sauntered towards them until he stood in front of her. She greeted him shyly, him doing the same, awkwardness and nervousness clearly filling the air between them.

“Happy birthday.” Emma told him as she tried her best to sound cheerful, not knowing if she should hug him or not. When he leaned forward she panicked and gave him his present, stopping him from wrapping his arms around her, knowing that his proximity would drive her insane with want and regret.

Killian looked at her with a hurt expression, seeing that she was avoiding his embrace and gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he took the bag.

“Come on, open it!” Milah insisted as she was standing next to him.

“It’s just a little something; I didn’t know what to get you.” Emma blurted out nervously as he was opening his gift. He took the bottle of Captain Morgan, and raised his eyes to look at her.

“Thank you.”

“Yay! More alcohol! That’s perfect! Come on, let’s go pour ourselves a drink.” She told Killian as she grabbed him by the arm and walked him over to the kitchen. He turned his head to look at Emma, and as she felt his eyes on her but decided to ignore it as she went to join her friends.

For the next hour, Emma stayed glued to her group of friends, trying to avoid both Milah and Killian. She was lucky that it was his birthday and everyone wanted to talk to him, so he was quite busy. Every now and then she could feel his gaze on her, and when she looked up over him, her suspicions were confirmed.

Emma went to the kitchen to get herself another beer, and when she went to rejoin her friends, he was standing next to David, both of them clearly in a deep conversation. She took another deep breath and marched forward as she went to stand on the other side of David.

All throughout their conversation (about football), she couldn’t help but shift on her spot, glancing up at him every once in a while.

Suddenly they were standing alone in the middle of the crowded living room, her friends deciding to leave them alone. Emma felt her heartbeat throughout her whole body as she tried to avoid looking at him, which she found difficult since he looked absolutely breathtaking tonight. She fiddled with the label on her beer bottle as she tried to find a way out of there.

“Thanks again for the present. I really appreciate it.”

She looked up at him, and felt her body heat up when her eyes met his. He cast her a sad smile, and she mirrored his.

“You’re welcome.” She answered him as she tried to conceal her nervousness. She lowered her stare down to her hands, unable to stand the vulnerability that was behind his eyes.

“You look beautiful tonight, Emma.” He told her as he took a step forward, invading her personal space, filling it with the heat of his body.

A familiar pain crept inside her chest upon hearing those words coming out of his mouth as he dropped his voice down low, as if he didn’t want anyone around them to hear what was being said.

“Please don’t do this, Killian.” She begged him before turning on her heels and walking down the hallway, as she suddenly felt the need to be alone.

Emma was halfway down the hallway when she realised she didn’t know where to go, and she heard Killian calling after her. She turned around abruptly and hadn’t noticed that he was already so close, and bumped into him. His hands went to grab her arms to steady her, as she felt her breath pick up the pace.

“Emma—”

“ _What?_ What do you want from me, Killian?” She asked him, distraught, already cursing herself for agreeing to come here tonight

“I want to understand why you are shutting me out all of a sudden.” He pleaded, his voice a lot calmer than hers.

“I already told you, I don’t love you.” She lied to him, the words stabbing her in the chest.

“Well, you know what, love? I don’t believe you. Just days ago you were begging me to choose between you and Milah. Something happened for you to change your mind so quickly.”

“ _Really?_ What about _you_? One day you say you love me and that you chose me, and then days later I receive your wedding invitation. If you really loved me the way you keep saying you do you wouldn’t still be marrying her. Now please, leave me alone!” She vociferated, and couldn’t help raising her voice as she answered him.

She saw how her words affected him and the pain that it caused him. Killian looked around to see if anyone was watching, when he saw no one, he took her by her wrist and dragged her into the nearest room, which happened to be the bathroom.

“What the hell?” She blurted as soon as he closed and locked the door.

“I’m not through with you. Believe me when I tell you that I wouldn’t be marrying her if I had a say in this. If I wasn’t trapped in this situation.” His voice was vulnerable, the timbre of his voice trembling as she saw how conflicted he was. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath before speaking again.

Emma felt confused with what he just said, trapped in what situation? He didn’t give her any time to ponder any longer at that thought as he walked over, closing up the space between them even more.

“You forget, Emma, that I know you better that you know yourself. I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you don’t love me. If you do, I promise I will leave you alone. But if you do love me, I need to know.”

Emma felt frozen by what he had just said. Killian took a couple of steps forward again, enveloping her with his body heat once again, the scent of him that she had been craving so much as well as his touch. Their noses were almost touching but he kept a distance so he could lock his blue eyes on hers as he waited for her to tell him the lie that she has been trying to convince him of.

She tried swallowing the lump that had lodged itself in her throat as she mustered the courage to speak again. Her eyes fluttered when she felt his strong hands brushing her arms.

“Emma,” He breathed out as he implored her to do as he asked.

“I-I don’t….” She was struggling to get the words out as she felt overwhelmed by him, and was thinking the exact opposite of what she was trying to convince him. She closed her eyes for a moment, to regain some courage before opening them up again, Killian’s face closer than it was, making her breath hitch.

“You don’t what?”

She could feel his breath on her, she could hear the desperation in his voice, and she felt his chest heaving as strongly as hers. Her eyes were on his lips and his on hers.

Overwhelmed by him and the fact that she had missed him so much over the past two weeks, she forgot what she was trying to say. Instead she closed the small space that was between them and pressed her lips into his as they both sighed with relief when their lips touched.

It quickly grew desperate, nipping and tugging each other’s lips, as Killian walked her backwards until her back was pressed on the door. Emma moaned when she felt his bulge pressed on her stomach, his mouth sucking on her earlobe, hands cupping her breasts through the fabric of her dress.

Emma instinctively pushed her hips forward wanting some friction, Killian understood what she wanted and he dropped one of his hands on her thigh and trailed it up until he reached her panties, pushing down the waistband so that his hand could cup her sex. One finger caressed the length of her slit, separating her folds slightly.

“Fuck, Emma, always so wet for me.” He pushed two fingers into her, curling them just right, knowing exactly what she liked as he’d spent hours exploring her body during their time spent together. Her eyes rolled back as she clawed his back needing support as she felt her legs shake.

Killian went back to kiss her fervently and she responded in an equal manner, trying to undo his pants in the process. His lips trailed back down her jaw and neck as she finally pulled him out of his pants, stroking him firmly as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her, adding his thumb to draw small circles on her clit, pushing her towards her release.

“Let go, love.” He whispered into her neck as he bit on her collarbone. “Come for me so I can bury myself between your legs.” Emma stilled as she came around his fingers, a silent cry escaping her lips.

Pulling his fingers out, he pushed down her panties down, and Emma let go of him as she got one leg out of her panties. His hand went to grab the back of her knee, and she took the hint, wrapping both of her legs around him as he lined himself up with her entrance pushed slowly intp her, making them both moan at the feeling.

Her hand went to cup his face, pushing him forward so they could kiss, muffling the sounds escaping their lips. For the first time in weeks, Emma felt complete and full, and it was all due to Killian.

Suddenly her back left the wall and she was carried towards the sink. He dropped her at he edge of the counter, his cock still buried in her heat. Emma grabbed the edge of the counter with one hand, the other burying itself in his hair.

“God, Emma, I’ve missed you so much.” He murmured along her neck as he kept thrusting fast and deep in her. “I’ve missed having you wrapped around me.”

Emma moaned as she heard him cherishing her, her back arching as he continued whispering in her ear how much she meant to him. Overwhelmed by all of him, his body, his words, and his love, she would be lying to herself if she said didn’t feel the same. She desperately wanted to tell him how much she missed him, how much she _did_ love him, but couldn’t bring herself to say it. So she just kept repeating in her head as she moaned softly into his ear, rolling her hips downwards as she felt the tension built up again deep down in her abdomen.

His thrusts started to get erratic as his release approached, as he grunted into her ear. His hand dropped down between them to where they were joined and started to rub her bundle of nerves, pushing her over the edge again as she tried to stifle the sound of his name as she came.

“Oh my god, Killian, I love you! _I love you_.” The words escaped her mouth without her even noticing it, her confession making him come undone, groaning into her neck. He pushed his hips a couple of more times, riding out their release.

When they both stilled, they stayed joined together as they panted, their foreheads pressed together, enjoying the little time they had before they needed to rejoin the party. Emma felt the panic slowly building itself deep down within her. He kissed her languorously, as if he was worshipping her.

“I love you so much, Emma. I knew you felt the same way.” He told her the moment he broke the kiss.

That was the moment that Emma felt the panic install itself for real, and she opened her eyes suddenly, pushing him away. Her feet touched the ceramic floor as she bent down to pull her underwear up.

“No, no, _no_! This was a mistake, a moment of weakness. This doesn’t change the fact that it’s over.” She told him frantically, trying to rearrange her appearance in a presentable way that wouldn’t make the others think that they just had sex in here.

Emma refused to look at Killian, knowing the pain that would be written across his face. She hated herself for what she was doing to him, hated that she let herself succumb to his charms, and let him think that they still had a chance. She unlocked and opened the door fast, closing it behind her and not looking back once as she walked fast towards the kitchen.

Her friends might have seen walk out the hallway in a panicked state, because the second she entered the kitchen, her friends came rushing in. Emma had gotten hold of the Captain Morgan bottle, grabbed a plastic cup and poured a good amount of the golden liquid.

“Emma, are you okay? You and Killian just disappeared so we thought you went to talk things through with him.” Ruby told Emma as she gulped down the entire contents of her cup, wincing at the burning sensation the alcohol was leaving in its trail.

“What happened?” Mary Margaret asked tentatively, worried with the way Emma was acting.

“We started to talk, got into a fight, and…” She stopped, hesitant on telling them what happened afterwards, as she looked at them worried. “...we had sex in the bathroom. And I might’ve told him that I love him.”

All three of them had a shocked look on their faces, mouths and eyes wide open. Mary Margaret was the first one to shake her head and tilt it afterwards before questioning her.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. I mean – _fuck_! This is such a mess. I mean, I told him I love him and he seemed so happy hearing me say that, and then afterwards I had to push away telling him I don’t!” She blurted out, frustrated with everything, feeling her eyes water.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Emma. Tell him the truth, he might help you find a way out of this situation.” Voiced the short-haired brunette in her usual soothing tone.

“I can’t.” Emma answered barely above a whisper.

Seconds later, Milah entered with Killian, as she dragged him into the kitchen. Emma could see the wrecked look on his face, imploring her with his eyes to listen to him.

“You guys want to do some shots?” Milah cheerfully asked her and her friends.

“Actually, I’m going to go. I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well.” Emma told everyone. She said her goodbyes despite the protests of the hostess and when she arrived at Killian she simply wished him a happy birthday, refusing to meet his eyes, and quickly got out of the house with Ruby by her side. She insisted on taking her home, while David and Mary Margaret decided to stay.

All the way back home, Emma kept telling her friend that it was such a bad idea coming to this party, as she let tears fall from her eyes.

-/-

Back at the party, David patiently waited for Milah to leave Killian’s side. The second she did, he and his girlfriend walked towards Killian.

“Killian, we need to talk. It’s about Emma.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter and I hope you liked it! I really had fun writing it, and I will miss writing that's for sure! There will be an epilogue, because I feel there are still things that need some closure in this story, but a full chapter will be too much.
> 
> Thanks to all of you who read it, and I hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Read and enjoy!

David and Mary Margaret were in Killian’s office, away from the party. David and his girlfriend were waiting for Killian to react after they told him what his stepfather told Emma, how he blackmailed her.

Killian could feel his blood boiling as he felt anger seep through his body. He clenched his hand into a fist, his knuckles turning white as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

“When did this happen?” Killian asked as he finally raised his eyes to meet David’s.

“A couple of days after you spent the weekend at her place.”

_It all made sense now._

His heart ached when he realised that she must have had this visit shortly before he came to her place and tell her that he chose her. He felt his chest tighten at the sudden memory of being pushed away, not understanding why she didn’t want him anymore.

“Look, Killian. I am telling you this because we want Emma to be happy, and she is happy with you. I hired a private investigator to try and dig up some dirt on Mr. Gold and he just called me, telling me that he found something that might help us.” David explained quickly.

“I’m going to met with this investigator tomorrow, but Emma is too scared and vulnerable right now to even think of bringing down your stepfather.”

“I’ll come with you. If I can bring that _motherfucker_ down, I will.” Killian answered in a firm, unwavering tone.

David nodded and went to give him a piece of paper. “This is the address, I’ll wait for you there at 11. Don’t be late.”

Killian took the piece of paper and tucked it into his pants pocket. David said goodbye and left the room, and was followed by Mary Margaret who stopped in front of Killian to tell him goodbye.

After the couple left his office, he decided to stay in it for a moment, to try and calm himself down before joining the party again, and faking his way through the rest of the evening.

He still couldn’t believe what Gold had done, the lengths he’d gone to to keep his business intact. Killian felt another wave of anger course through him as he imagined Gold going to see Emma, and threatening her. He couldn’t even imagine how it must have been for her, caught in this dilemma – choosing her livelihood or love. And he couldn’t blame her for the choice she made, as he would have done the same.

Killian finally made his way out of his office and joined the party. He tried keeping a smile and laughing at people’s comments, but his heart wasn’t in it. He faked a headache, which made people leave earlier.

After most of the guests left, Killian cleaned up a little, not wanting to deal with any of this mess tomorrow, since he had more pressing matters that would need his attention. When he finished he went to his bedroom, happy to finally be able to lay down, and put his mind to rest. He got out of his clothes and stayed in his boxers and put on a white T-shirt before getting under the covers.

He finally settled himself comfortably in his bed when he heard the bathroom door creak, and heard Milah calling him out. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily before sitting up in his bed and looking over in Milah’s direction. She was leaning against the doorframe, in black lingerie that left little to the imagination.

“What are you doing?” He asked in an exhausted voice.

“Giving you your birthday present.” She answered him as she walked seductively towards him.

She climbed on the bed and straddled his hips, leaning in for a kiss which Killian avoided by turning his head to the side, causing her lips to land on his cheek instead. She leaned back with a confused look.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not in the mood.” He took her by the waist and moved her to the side so she would get off his lap. Killian got up and walked towards the bathroom.

“You haven’t been in the mood for weeks now.” The hurt tone in her voice made him stop. He turned around to look at her and felt a pang of guilt shoot through him.

He was the reason why this vibrant woman with a thirst for life looked so sad and hurt. He looked down at his feet as he gathered the strength to tell her what needed to be said.

“I can’t keep making you go through this, Milah. It’s over.” His voice was low and filled with guilt.

“ _What_? Why?” She asked him as she got up from the bed and walked towards him. She stood in front of him, her eyes locked on his, demanding an explanation.

“I don’t love you anymore, and I can’t keep pretending that this is what I want because it isn’t. And I’m ashamed of what I’ve done but I can’t go on lying anymore.”

Killian took a deep breath before telling her the truth about his awkward behaviour.

“I’ve been seeing someone else since our engagement party.” He waited for her to lash out at him, to hit him or insult him for cheating on her. But there was nothing.

“I’m sorry, Milah, it wasn’t my intention to string you along all this time, I was just too much of a coward to tell you the truth.” He waited for her response, but when he saw her eyes water and her lips tremble, he didn’t know what to do.

“I’ll go sleep on the couch.” He finally managed to say and he got out of the room.

-/-

Emma woke up in the morning with her eyes puffy and red. After the party, she came back home and cried herself to sleep, as she cursed herself for her moment of weakness. She wondered if the pain would ever come to an end, and if she would ever be able to get over him.

She got up from her bed and went to take a shower to try and bring back some sense into her. Coming out of the shower, she felt as if she had washed her troubles away and gained enough energy to help get through the day.

As she was made herself some coffee, she wondered what she could do with her weekend, since she really needed to keep her mind off of what was troubling her. Emma decided that she would have a day for herself and that she should be going to the movies alone.

Just when she was about ready to leave, there was a knock on her door. She looked at the door puzzled, wondering who it could be. She looked through the peephole and saw Milah on the other side.

Emma felt her heart race, thinking the worst of her friend’s intentions. Maybe she had heard Killian and her in the bathroom, or maybe someone else did and told her. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and opened the door, forcing a smile on her face when she saw her friend.

“Hey Mi—”

“The wedding is cancelled.” Milah told Emma as she interrupted her and walked pass her and to sit on the couch, waiting for Emma to join.

Emma closed the door, still shocked by Milah’s dramatic entrance, and not sure if she heard right.

“What do you mean the wedding is cancelled?” She asked her as she went to sit beside the brunette.

“I broke things off with Killian.” She said as if it was nothing, which left Emma bewildered.

“How?”

“Well, actually he told me that he couldn’t go on with our relationship.”

“So, he’s the one who broke with you?” Asked Emma confused.

“Me, him, what difference does it make? Did you know that he was cheating on me? Since our engagement party!” Milah brushed it off, before dropping the bomb on Emma.

Emma tried to stifle the smile that was threatening to appear on her face, knowing that Killian had finally done it – _he left her_.

“He told you that? Did he tell you with who?” Emma felt panic invade her, sensing that she had been caught.

“No, but I’m going to find out. I mean I don’t care that he has been fucking another woman, I just want to know who made him want to look somewhere else.”

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“Well, a little, but – to be honest, I haven’t been the most faithful of girlfriends, so I can’t be _that_ mad at him. Don’t tell Killian about this, but I’ve been sleeping with Graham for a while now.”

“What?” Emma looked at her friend, outraged by her confession.

“Don’t look at me like that, you slept with Graham, too!” Milah responded as she pointed her finger at her.

“No, I didn’t!” She answered defensively.

“You told me you did, when I asked why you left those sex bruises on you.”

“Well, it wasn’t Graham.” She answered, as she tried to look away, not able to look at her friend.

“Then who was it?”

Emma started fidgeting on her seat, wondering if she should tell her friend the truth. On one hand, Milah didn’t seem to mind at all about the fact that he was cheating on her for the last couple of weeks, and Emma felt less guilty knowing that Milah wasn’t faithful either. She gulped hard, before raising her eyes to level with those of her friend.

“Killian.” His name came out of her mouth, her voice small and filled with guilt.

Milah’s eyes widened at the realisation that the woman her fiancé has been cheating her with was actually her best friend. Emma got more and more nervous as she waited for her to say anything. What she didn’t expect was the slap that came across her cheek, the skin quickly burning.

“YOU BITCH!” Milah yelled at her as she got up from the couch. “How _could_ you? _You_? My best friend?” Milah kept yelling at her, red with anger, tears in her eyes as she expressed her hurt towards Emma.

“Milah, I know, I’m the worst, but please, listen to me!” She got up from her seat and walked towards her friend and begged her as she started crying, seeing the pain she had caused her friend.

“No! It is one thing to be cheated on by your fiancé, but my _best friend_? You two deserve each other.” She spat out before walking towards her door and slamming it shut.

Emma stood in her living room alone, and slumped back onto her couch as she cried every tear in her body. She had lost Killian, and now she had lost her best friend.

-/-

Killian was driving towards his mother’s house where he knew he would see his stepfather. He parked his car in the driveway and saw Gold’s car parked just in front of him.

He took the envelope on the passenger seat, the one the private investigator Sidney Glass had given him, with some compromising pictures of Gold and his secretary Belle. He got out of the car and walked towards the entrance and knocked on the door. His mom opened the door, and she greeted him with warm hug.

“This is such a lovely surprise! What brings you by?” Mary asked him as she led him inside the house.

“Uh, I actually have some work stuff to talk over with Gold.” He told his mother as he waved the envelope in front of her.

“Oh! Well he’s in his office. Are you going to stay for dinner?”

“I don’t think so, I’ve got some other things to settle after this.”

“Okay, well don’t forget that we are having your birthday supper here tomorrow night.” His mother reminded him as he walked towards the hallway that led to Gold’s office.

“I won’t.” He responded before disappearing down the corridor.

He arrived in front of Gold’s door and knocked on it before opening it, not waiting for him to answer. Mr. Gold was sitting at his desk, and he lifted his head the second Killian walked in, and dropped his head back to its previous position.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” Gold asked him as he continued to work on whatever he was working on.

“There’s something I wanted to show you.” Killian held up the envelope that he was carrying in his hands and dropped it on his stepfather’s desk.

“I’m quite busy, so if you don’t mind take whatever you want to show me back, and return another time.” He responded not once looking up at Killian as he pushed the brown envelope back.

Seeing Gold dismissing him made Killian angrier than he already was and he slammed his palms on the big wooden desk, which caught Gold’s attention, finally raising his eyes to meet Killian’s glare.

“You are going to make time for this. Take a look at what’s inside the envelope.”

An annoyed sigh came from the man sitting behind the desk as he did what Killian asked him, and took out the pictures that were inside. His face faltered when he saw what they were of.

“Where did you get these?” He asked in a menacing tone.

“Doesn’t matter, what matters is this: you are going to leave Emma and me alone. You will not harm her business and you won’t meddle in our relationship _ever again_.” He warned Gold as he leaned forward over the desk.

“Oh really? And you think these pictures are supposed to scare me off?”

“Well, if you thought Emma would taint your business’s reputation I bet these pictures would be worse if I send them to the newspaper. Which, I can assure you, would definitely have field day with this type of gossip.” Killian smiled, seeing that his plan was slowly working.

“If you really think I’m going to let you intimidate me this way, you have another thing coming.” Gold got up from his chair and stared at Killian.

“Do your worst. I’m not afraid of you.” They both stared at each other for a moment, and Killian waited for Gold to step down.

When he did, Killian felt relieved, seeing that he won that argument, knowing that it wasn’t easy to do so with that man. Mr. Gold sat on his chair, not wanting to show defeat as Killian took back the envelope and the pictures with him. He started to walk away, but stopped halfway through and turned back to look at him.

“And one last thing: you will file for divorce from my mother, she doesn’t deserve to be married to a snake like you.” He told him with contempt.

With that said, he left Gold’s office and went to say goodbye to his mother. He entered his car and dropped the envelope back on the passenger’s seat. He then pulled out of the driveway and drove off.

There was one last stop for him to make before heading home.

-/-

After Milah’s departure, Emma decided to stay at home and not go at the movie theater. She felt lifeless, like the worst human being. She had ruined her relationship with her childhood friend over a man. The one thing they always said that would never happen. Milah was maybe a self-absorbed person but she still didn’t deserve what Emma did to her.

She betrayed her friend by sleeping with her fiancé and the worst of all, is that she had to end it with him. Despite the fact that he finally left Milah, there was still Mr. Gold’s threat of shutting down her business if she pursued her relationship with Killian.

Emma wondered when she would ever catch a break with all this drama, and she wished she could go to sleep and forget everything. And that’s what she did, as she laid on her couch.

She was sound asleep when she heard a knock on her door and she grunted when the knocking got louder. She reluctantly got up from her couch and walked towards the door. Looking through the peephole, she gasped when she saw Killian.

“Emma?” He asked as continued knocking.

She managed to gather enough energy to open the door and deal with the other pending problem in her life. Opening the door, Killian’s face brightened when he saw her, and a huge grin appeared on his face.

“Swan, at last.” He didn’t give her time to respond, as he crashed his lips to hers.

Instinctively, she wrapped her hands around his neck and they both sighed into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing their bodies together as much as they could as they kissed passionately. They separated their lips only when they needed to gasp for air, both panting. That was when Emma came out of her haze and pushed him back slightly, but not leaving his embrace.

“What are you doing here?”

“I left Milah.”

“I know, she came by here this morning.” She told him, shivering at the thought of how it ended.

“What did she tell you?” He asked her, sensing that it didn’t go well.

“That you said you were cheating on her, and after one thing led to another, I told her it was me.”

“Are you okay?” He asked as tucked one of her curls behind her ear.

“I will be.” She answered as she let herself find comfort in his touch before regaining her senses.

“Look, Killian you should go. This doesn’t change the fact that we are over.” She told him as she tried to walk away from him.

“What if I told you that my stepfather won’t be bothering you ever again, does that change anything?”

“What? How do you…” she didn’t get the time to finish her sentence as Killian interrupted her.

“David told me. I went to meet with his private investigator this morning, and with the evidence that he got us, I was able to talk to Gold. He won’t bother you anymore, he won’t bother _us._ ” He told her as closed the space between them, grasping her small hands in his, his eyes fixed on hers.

“You’re sure?” Emma asked him, bewildered, still not believing that he really did all that for _her_ – for _them_.

He simply nodded as he waited to see what she would do. All of a sudden she jumped into his arms and pulled him in for a searing kiss that left them both out of breath. When she finally managed to tear her lips from his for a brief moment, she couldn’t stop murmuring how sorry she was for having put him through this whole nightmare.

“Shh, it’s okay, love. I understand why you did it.”

“You don’t hate me for it?”

“I could never. I love you, Emma Swan.” She smiled at his declaration, finally feeling free to let herself relish on those words.

“I love you, too, Killian Jones.” He smirked at her, and pressed his lips on hers once again as he led them both to her bedroom.

After their coupling, Emma felt sated and happy, as she rested her head on his chest, her hand splayed on it, fingers playing with his dark curls. Killian had his arm wrapped around her, his hand stroking her arm. He let out a content sight as he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I’m sorry.” Emma told him softly, her voice filled with regret.

“About what love?”

“For pushing you away, for hurting you.”

“It’s okay.”

“No it isn’t.” Emma propped herself on her forearms so she could have a better look at him. “I’ve hurt you, told you I didn’t want you when I wanted you so badly.” She said to him, her voice trembling.

Killian mimicked her position and cupped her face.

“Don’t be. I should be the one to apologize for all the pain I’ve caused you. If I had been man enough to tell you how I felt all those years ago, we wouldn’t have been through all of this.”

“This thing really was a mess wasn’t it?” Emma chuckled, as she shook her head lightly, to which Killian responded with a laugh.

“It really was. But this all behind us now. We can start all over again, no secrets, no lies, just _us_ , and nothing else. What do you say?”

She smiled at him and leaned in for a kiss and pushed him on his back as she moved on top of him.

“Is that a yes?” He asked between kisses.

“Mhm, yes.”

“Good.” He replied as he spun them around in the bed which made Emma giggle.


End file.
